The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ,EFCC,has admitted it’s own error in the arrest of Dr. Doyin Okupe a former Director General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday.
EFCC accepted in terse statement by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media & Publicity, the error.
It 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.”
Earlier on Thursday morning the Department of State Service, DSS, had said it intercepted Chief Doyin Okupe on the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,.
In a terse statement by Dr. Peter Afunanya Public Relations Officer ,DSS, said “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 Commisson which requested for the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic.”
DSS did not give any further reason for his arrest .Recalled that Okupe had resigned the post of Director General Peter Obi Presidential Campaign in December 2022 after he was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment on 23 count charge for being in possession of cash beyond the N5m threshold.
Okupe opted for a fine and paid the sum of N13m fine. Sadly, it turned out the EFCC watch -list issued in 2016 appeared to have been forgotten as no one cares to lift it after a month of court decision,