The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has given the reasons behind the arrest of Doyin Okupe, the convicted former Spokesperson for the Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.
A statement signed by the Commission Spokesperson, Wilson Uwuajiaren says the arrest was based on the watch-list request placed in Doyin Okupe before his recent conviction.
In a statement signed by the Spokesperson of DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, “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” Afunanya added.
“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.”
He added that the Agency is in the process of lifting the request and will expedite action on it.
“The Commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch-list before his interception and will expedite action in this regard,” it concluded.
DSS doesn’t always place anyone on watchlist action. It does so on request. So it is lifted when and if the requesting agency informs it (the dss) that it no longer has need for the action to be executed; that way it is lifted. Where the requesting authority didn’t make such request or pass the appropriate information, the action subsits and will be executed no matter how long”
Dr. Okupe, former presidential adviser was arrested by the DSS at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.