AIT chief, Raymond Dokpesi quizzed by EFCC

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 5:03 pm

Dokpesi: Being quizzed by EFCC

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi was on Tuesday invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja, over money disbursed by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki

Dokpesi, the Chairman of DAAR Communications, owners of African Independent Television, AIT, according to sources was picked by the EFCC on Tuesday afternoon and he was reportedly accompanied by his son Raymond Dokpesi Jnr., who is the current Chairman of Daar Communications to the Abuja office of the anti graft agency.

Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson for EFCC confirmed that Dokpesi was arrested in connection with money disbursed from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

According to him, the office of the NSA was turned into a warehouse where funds were disbursed to different individuals for unstated reasons under the past administration. Dasuki himself was arrested this morning by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Security Services, DSS.

But Mike Ozekhome, lawyer to the media mogul said Dokpesi was not arrested, but was invited by the EFCC.

Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance, was on Monday also arrested by the EFCC over his role in the alleged scandal.

Some senior military officers have also been reportedly detained by the Defence Headquarters in connection with the deals.

The on going arrest followed an interim panel report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on probe of arms purchase during the last administration.
The report indicated that over N640 billion might have been siphoned with nothing on ground to show for it.

It was against this backdrop that the President ordered the arrest of those involved in the alleged scandal.

In a swift reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the arrest of Dokpesi “and other opposition elements.’’

PDP’s National Publicity Secreatary, Chief Olisa Metuh said in a statement in Abuja that it was government’s plan tailored to decimate the opposition and cow the media in Nigeria.

“While the PDP is not against the war against corruption, we insist that the crusade must be carried out within the limits of the law and not as guise to persecute and torture opposition elements.

The statement demanded an open and public trial of all those arrested so that all issues and charges against them as well as their defence therein would also be in the public domain.