The Economic Financial and Crimes Commission has clarified its role in the arrest of the Labour Party Chieftain, Dr Doyin Okupe.
It would be recalled that the Department of State Service on Thursday morning arrested Okupe at the Lagos airport.
While explaining the reason for the arrest, the Public Relations Officer for DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, said the Okupe was arrested after his attempt to leave the country for London.
The agency also stated that it arrested the immediate-past Director-General of the Labour Party presidential campaign council, on the instance of the EFCC.
However in a latest development, the EFCC has revealed that the DSS acted on a 2016 watch list request to arrest former presidential aide.
In a statement issued by the head of media and publicity for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, the agency stated,“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.”
Also Okupe while reacting to his arrest through a tweet on Thursday afternoon stated that the DSS has apologized to him for the incident.
“I was arrested and detained at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this morning, January 12, on my way to the UK for medicals, years after my passport was withheld by the FHC, Abuja.
“I just left the EFCC office where the senior and younger officers in Lagos and Abuja apologised to me for the error,” he tweeted.
