The arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday of a former Chairman of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has been criticised by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
Dokpesi was arrested in connection with the ongoing Federal Government’s investigation of the $2.2 billion arms purchase scandal involving the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The sources added that Dokpesi was picked up in Abuja at about noon and was accompanied to the commission by his son, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr.
The source said: Dokpesi was arrested in connection with money disbursed from the office of the former National Security Adviser, retired Col Sambo Dasuki.”
It will be recalled that Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, a former Minister of State for Finance, was on Mondayarrested by the EFCC over his role in the alleged scandal.
Some senior military officers have also been reportedly detained by the Defence Headquarters in connection with the deals.
The ongoing arrest followed an interim panel report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on probe of arms purchase during the last administration.
The report indicated that over N640 billion might have been siphoned with nothing on ground to show for it.
It was against this backdrop that the President ordered the arrest of those involved in the alleged scandal.
In a swift reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party condemned the arrest of Dokpesi “and other opposition elements”.
PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said in a statement in Abuja that it was government’s plan tailored to decimate the opposition and cow the media in Nigeria.
Metuh said in the statement: “While the PDP is not against the war against corruption, we insist that the crusade must be carried out within the limits of the law and not as guise to persecute and torture opposition elements.”
The statement demanded an open and public trial of all those arrested so that all issues and charges against them as well as their defence therein would also be in the public domain.
NAN.
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