On Thursday morning, the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Chief Doyin Okupe, former Director-General of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council. His arrest was made known to the public through his lawyer, Tolu Babaleye.
According to Babaleye, Chief Doyin Okupe, was arrested by law enforcement agents at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State, while on his way to London for medical treatment.
However, Okupe via a tweet has stated that he has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crime. Okupe further stated that the personnel of the agency apologised for the ‘error’.
He tweeted, “I was arrested & detained at the MM int airport, Lagos this morning 12th Jan on my way to UK for medicals yrs of my passport being withheld by the FHC Abuja.I hv just left the efcc office where snr officers in lagos& Abuja appologised to me for the error. OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARD abi?”(sic)
Also, reacting to the development, the spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren in a terse statement said the Service acted on a watch-list request issued on July 18, 2016, over six years before his recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The statement read, “The Department of State Services, DSS, today, January 12, informed the Commission of the interception of Doyin Okupe, former presidential adviser, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
“The Service acted on a Watch-list request issued on July 18, 2016, over six years before his recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The Commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch-list before his interception and will expedite action in this regard.”
Weeks ago, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Chief Doyin Okupe, who served as a former Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, over the diversion of arms funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that the prosecution made out a case of money laundering against Okupe and awarded the total sum of N13m in fines against him.