Immigration Service interrogates AIT boss, Dokpesi

According to Vanguard, Dokpesi accused the Federal Government of trying to stop him from travelling abroad to receive medical care.

The media mogul also alleged that he was arrested and detained for about 50 – 55 minutes on Friday, March 22, 2019, when he returned to the country from a medical trip.

Speaking to newsmen, Dokpesi reportedly blamed the government of President Buhari for his ordeal with the NIS.

He said “I just returned from a medical trip overseas last Friday, March 22nd 2019 when I was arrested for between 50 to 55 minutes at the airport. I was told that they had instructions from above to arrest me on my return but after a few phone calls and contacts, the immigration officer at the airport told me that he had instructions from above that I could leave and he gave me back my passport and told me that I should go and that they would reach me subsequently. 

“On Monday, I received new information and in line with the normal process, I returned my passport to the Federal High Court since I travelled under a judicial approval or permission. So I returned my passport and gave notice that I might have to go for a medical check up so that they will ensure that the operation was successful and that all the organs and everything are properly healed.

“So when I got the letter yesterday (Tuesday) 26th, I replied that same yesterday notifying them that I had returned the passport to the Federal High Court and that it has been duly acknowledged and added all the necessary information and so on.

 “But the officers who interrogated me said that they had expected me to go back to the Federal High Court and and obtained the passport with their letter of invitation and I told them that I totally deferred from that line of thought.

“If you the immigration service with the instruction from above requires my passport, then write directly to the Federal High Court and request for the passport. If you like, you can copy me for me to be able to go there and say, look I am supposed to be a courier, has the Court approved it and I will return it clearly, but that did not happen and that made us have altercations and tempers went very high.

 “But I stood my ground and said, well I am a Nigerian citizen, I have travelled out for my medical treatment. I am back to the country and I voluntarily came back and has handed over my passport to the appropriate authority. They were telling me that passport was a property of the federal government and federal government has a right to withdraw it at any time.

Granted passport is a property of the federal government and federal government has a right to withdraw it but I am also a citizen of the federal Republic of Nigeria and there is a judicial process, there is rule of law. Why should we not go through the judicial process and be able to define what is required?”

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In its reaction, the NIS, through its spokesman, Sunday Abraham said “Mr. Dokpesi was invited by the Nigeria Immigration Service for official-related issues and he has been released. But I can’t discuss the issues with you now.

 “Mr. Dokpesi is a high-profile individual so until we are able to finish the issues we are looking at, we can’t disclose them.”

In 2015, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted Dokpesi bail after he was charged with money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). 

As part of his bail condition, he was asked to produce two sureties with N200 million each, and also submit his passport to the court’s registrar.