Labour Party (LP) chieftain Dr Doyin Okupe was on Thursday morning arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
The 70-year-old was scheduled to fly to London on Virgin Atlantic when he was apprehended by the secret police.
DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya confirmed the arrest in a statement, saying it was carried out on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
“Doyin Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this (Thursday) 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,” Mr Afunanya said.
Okupe was the immediate past director-general of the campaign of Labour Party presidential candidate Party Peter Obi.
He resigned in December after Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja found him guilty of receiving over N200million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki.
The politician was found guilty on a total of 26 counts – from counts 34 to 59 of the charges.
Justice Ojukwu sentenced him to two years in prison on count 34 with an option of a fine of N500,000.
The court also sentenced him to two years imprisonment on counts 35 to 59 with an option of a fine of N500,000.
Okupe paid the fine and was therefore not taken into custody.
It is not stated what Okupe was travelling to London for, but Mr Obi is scheduled to speak at Chatham House on Monday, 16 January.
