According to an ally of Peter Obi, a high-profile presidential candidate in Nigeria, he was arrested in “error” with only weeks until the election.
Doyin Okupe was detained by the Department of State Security (DSS) on his way to London on Thursday morning, at the request of Nigeria’s anti-corruption regulator.
After that, Mr. Okupe was turned over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
But he seems to have been held for only a short while as he tweeted that senior officers in Abuja and Lagos “apologized” to him for their mistake, and described being arrested as an “occupational hazard”.
Mr. Okupe was convicted of money laundering, among other things, last month but avoided prison by paying a fine.
He was found guilty of receiving more than $400,000 (£330,000) from a single person without following the proper procedures. This was before he started working for Mr. Obi, the front-runner in the race to become Nigeria’s next president in the February elections.
During his brief detention, the EFCC did not respond to messages inquiring whether Mr. Okupe was in its custody and for what reason.
After his conviction, Mr. Okupe was forced to resign as the director-general of the Obi campaign, but he has continued to work for him.
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?
— Doyin (@doyinokupe) January 12, 2023
