Tolu Babaleye, a lawyer to Doyin Okupe, former Director-General of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council, has asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to release his client from detention.
According to Babaleye, the politician was arrested at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State, while on his way to London.
“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 ti’s is a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty and dignity of human person. This is unfair as the man health is fast failing!,” he said in a statement.
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A Federal High Court in Abuja had convicted Okupe, a former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, over the diversion of arms funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that the prosecution made out a case of money laundering against Okupe and awarded the total sum of N13m in fines against him.
In 2019, he was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 59-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N240m from the then NSA, Sambo Dasuki.
Those arraigned with him are two companies: Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.
Justice Ojukwu convicted Okupe in 26 out of the 59-count charges preferred against him by the EFCC.
