Operatives of the State Security Service have arrested Doyin Okupe, former director-general of the Labour Party presidential campaign council. 

Mr Okupe was taken in for questioning at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where he was due to board a flight to London.

The SSS did not immediately return requests seeking comments on the arrest.

Although it is unclear what Mr Okupe’s offence is, Tolu Babaleye, lawyer to Mr Okupe, said the SSS wanted the politician to “produce evidence that the Federal High Court Abuja has freed him from the case in which he wax (sic) convicted and paid fine to the knowledge of the whole world and was allowed to go home.” 

Mr Babaleye demanded his client’s immediate release, asserting that he had been subjected to “harassment” and that his basic human rights had been violated by the secret police.

“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,” stated Mr Babaleye. “This is unfair as the man health is fast failing!”

Last month, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court convicted Mr Okupe after he was found guilty of money laundering. 

He, however, opted to pay a fine of N13 million instead of serving the jail term for the charges. 

Mr Okupe was said to have met the 4:30 p.m. deadline set by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on the day of his conviction.