Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said it will expunge Okupe’s name from its watch list following his arrest by the DSS at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The DSS spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, confirmed Okupe’s arrest to our correspondent on Thursday.

Afunanya said, “Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC. He has long been handed over to the commisson which requested the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic.”

Okupe was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

Okupe was convicted and jailed by a Federal High Court in Abuja following his prosecution by the EFCC for money laundering to the tune of N700m.

In his reaction to Okupe’s arrest, the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said, “Concerning the interception of Doyin Okupe; the DSS, today, January 12, informed the commission of the interception of Dr Okupe, former presidential adviser, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The Service acted on a watch list request issued on July 18, 2016, over six years before his recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

“The commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch list before his interception, and will expedite action in this regard.”

Although the EFCC had earlier on Thursday said it would remove Dr Okupe from its watch list ‘more quickly,’ in a separate telephone interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, Uwujaren, noted that the removal of Okupe’s name from the watch list would go through a process for which the EFCC cannot confirm its duration.

Uwujaren said, “There is a process for doing this, and one can’t say, ‘okay, this is the day we’re going to end the process’. And I think our statement (earlier on Thursday) is explicit, and we are standing by it.”

Uwujaren added that he could not confirm an inquiry by our correspondent on whether officials of the commission apologised to Okupe as claimed by the former presidential aide.

Okupe had posted on social media after his release that EFCC officials apologised and released him.

He was therefore sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja with an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the 26 count charges for which he was found guilty.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Ojukwu held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission violated the Money Laundering Act.

She said he had up to 4.30 pm to pay the fine option totalling N13m on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the convict’s wife, Omolola, and his son, Adesunkanmi.

While stating that the Money Laundering Act provided that no individual or organisation shall receive any sum above N5m and N10m respectively without passing through a financial institution, the judge held that, “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution” and that Okupe was not a financial institution, and that, even if the president was said to have authorised the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash.

Consequently, the court found Okupe guilty in counts 34, 35, 36 to 59 and sets him free from counts 1 to 33 because the prosecution failed to establish the charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust and corruption against the NSA.

In counts 34 to 59 upon which Okupe was convicted, he was accused of receiving various sums of money ranging from N10m on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was Jonathan’s aide.

The said sum, he said, was spent on running his office, payment of staff members and image laundering of the former President and his administration. But, the court, however, held that receiving such amounts in cash violated the Money Laundering Act.

Shortly after his conviction, Okupe’s counsel, Francis Oronsaye, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy because the defendant was a first-time offender, a family man who is also advanced in age and having health challenges that he is currently treating in Nigeria and outside the country.

Okupe succeeded in paying his fine before the deadline and was allowed to go.

A source said, “Okupe has paid; they returned with the bank papers around 4.25pm. The court processed it, and everybody signed, including the EFCC lawyer.”

Shortly after his release, Okupe tweeted, “God is not man. The enemies have tried in so many ways but kept on failing. Victory is of God.”

Okupe was convicted of the offence on Monday by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu presiding over the case on Monday found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.

Okupe was on found guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from a former former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)

He was therefore sentenced to two years by Justice Ojuwku with an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the 26 count charge for which he was found guilty.

Delivering her judgment, the judge held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, violated the Money Laundering Act, and had up to 4:30 pm on Monday to pay the fine option, totalling the sum of N13 million on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the wife of the convict, Omolola Okupe, and that of his son, Adesunkanmi Okupe, and the allocutus by his counsel.

While stating that the Money Laundering Act provided that no individual or organisation shall receive any sum above N5 million and N10 million respectively without passing through a financial institution, the judge held that, “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution” and that Okupe was not a financial institution, and that, even if the president was said to have authorised the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash in violation of the money laundering.

Consequently, the court found the former SSA to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan guilty in counts 34, 35, 36 to 59 and set him free from counts one to 33 on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust and corruption against the NSA.

In counts 34 to 59, upon which Okupe was convicted, he was accused of receiving various sums of money ranging from N10 million on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was SSA to Jonathan.

The said sum according to him were expended on running the office, payment of staff members and image laundering of the former president and his administration. But, the court however held that receiving such amounts in cash violated the Money Laundering Act.

Shortly after his conviction, Okupe’s counsel, Francis Oronsaye, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy on the grounds that the defendant was a first time offender, a family man who is also advanced in age and having health challenges that he was currently treating in Nigeria and outside the country.

Oronsaye, citing Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, urged the court to stand down the matter to enable him call witnesses that would attest to the good character of Okupe, a request the court granted and Okupe’s wife and son pleaded for mercy in the sentencing of the former SSA, a request which the court granted, and the wife and one of his child were called.

They both told the court that Okupe was a loving and caring father, whose love and care extended to people who were not his biological children, adding that Okupe was a great man with integrity and good character.

The counsel for the second and third defendants also lended their voices in the plea for mercy, adding that the convict was a mere victim of circumstance.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu presiding over the case on Monday found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.

Okupe is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party.

The Justice has stood down proceedings till 1:45pm. This is to allow Okupe to exercise his right under Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to call witnesses to testify about his character.

Thereafter, the court will proceed to pronounce its sentence

In a post on Twitter titled ‘Insecurity And Galloping Inflation,’ Okupe said productivity has declined in the country which is visible in the agricultural sector affected by the activities of herdsmen and bandits.

According to Okupe, “Whatever economic model subsists in the country, the fact is our productivity is on a steep decline nationally. This is more visible in the agriculture sector. Insurgency, Banditry and Herdsmen/farmers clashes have virtually sent farmers away from their farms while open grazing itself have devastated farmlands across the nation. The inflation rate of 18+% is terrible bad news for the managers of our economy. When coupled with ever-increasing food prices, a dual evil of hunger and poverty is unleashed on the populace. The Nigerian government must urgently find solutions to insecurity before it snuffs the life out of our people and threatens our very existence. An all-inclusive national summit on proferring sustainable solutions to insecurity is NOW a national imperative.”