Dr Doyin Okupe, former Director General (DG) of Peter Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation has spoken on his arrest and release by the Department of State Services (DSS), saying he was stopped on his way to the United Kingdom for medicals for “medicals.”
Dr Okupe said in a Twitter post: “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?”
Earlier, one of his lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, in confirming the incident, said: “The information reaching me now is that Dr. Doyin Okupe has been arrested at Lagos Airport by the DSS on his way to London.
“The reason according to the 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. Doyin Okupe? As at today, the man has no case to answer anywhere, 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!”
However, the DSS issued a clarification on the Thursday morning airport incident, stating that Okupe has been released as they do not know that he has been cleared to travel.
The statement from DSS issued by its Spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, reads: “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 for the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic.”