>
By Emmanuel Adeleke
The immediate past Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, has been arrested by Department of State Services (DSS) operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
Okupe’s arrest was disclosed on Facebook by one of his lawyers, Tolu Babaleye.
According to him, Okupe was on his way to London when he was arrested.
He claimed that the DSS operatives asked Okupe to provide the court papers he used to pay his fine following his money laundering conviction by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The reason according to source is that he was asked to produce evidence that the Federal High Court,Abuja, has freed him from the case in which he was convicted and paid fine to the knowledge of the whole world and was allowed to go home.
“When will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Okupe? As of today, the man has no case to answer. I hereby demand that the DSS should release my client immediately as this is a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty and dignity of human person. This is unfair as the man’s health is fast failing,” he wrote.
Confirming Okupe’s arrest in a statement on Thursday, the DSS spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, said Okupe was arrested based on a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He noted that Okupe had been handed over to the EFCC.
“Doyin Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC. He has long been handed over to the Commission which requested the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic,” the statement read.
