The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that the Department of State Services acted on a 2016 Watch List request it made for the arrest of the former Director General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Doyin Okupe.
It said this in a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Thursday after the arrest of the ex-presidential aide.
As earlier reported by The Eagle Online, Okupe was arrested by operatives of the DSS at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday morning as he was about to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to the United Kingdom.
The DSS, in a statement by its spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said Okupe’s arrest was based on a request by the EFCC.
But in a statement issued after the release of Okupe, Uwujaren said: “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.”
Okupe also confirmed the development on his Twitter handle after his release.
He tweeted: “I was arrested & detained @ the MMIA, Lagos this morning, 12th Jan on my way to 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 appologised to me for the error.
“OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARD abi?”
