The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said a former Director-General of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign organisation, Chief Doyin Okupe, was wrongly arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS).
This is coming hours after the DSS arrested and released the politician Thursday morning.
DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, had earlier in statement that Mr Okupe “was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, this morning at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)”.
The secret service handed him over to the EFCC.
Mr Okupe was arrested while he was about to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic Airline.
In a statement on Thursday evening, EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said Mr Okupe was arrested based on a watch-list request issued on 18 July 2016, more than 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 Dr 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.”
Mr Okupe, in a tweet shortly his arrest, said he was arrested and later released with an apology by the anti-graft agency.
“I was arrested & detained @ the MMIA, Lagos this morning, 12th Jan on my way to the UK for medicals; years after my passport had been withheld by the FHC Abuja. I just left the EFCC office where Snr Officers in Lagos & Abuja apologised to me for the error. OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARD abi?.”
