The founder of DAAR Communications Limited, owners of AIT Radio and TV stations, Chief Raymond Dokpesi was arrested by the Police in the United Kingdom.
According to multiple reports in Nigeria on Sunday, Dokpesi was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London. It was not clear yet why he was arrested.
The news platform, The Whistler, which broke the story, reported that Dokpesi was arrested on arrival at Heathrow Airport.
He had boarded a Lufthansa Flight LH916 from Frankfurt to London and was subsequently picked up at Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport.
A witness to the arrest said: “We were on a flight from Frankfurt to London and as we are about to arrive London, we were informed that we should all stay on our seat when the aircraft lands and that the Police wanted to do something.
“We were informed that there will be a police operation.
“So when we landed, the police came in and ask who is Raymond Dokpesi and they now took him away.
“He was wearing agbada. He was arrested in London.”
However, according to a statement made available to The PUNCH on Monday morning by the DAAR Communications management, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has been released.
Giving details of the incident, the statement read, “Dokpesi arrived via Frankfurt from Abuja on a Lufthansa airlines flight and was invited off the plane, before other passengers were disembarked.
“Dokpesi was delayed at the airport for some hours before his passport was stamped and he was cleared by British Immigration officials for entry into the country.
“His visit to the United Kingdom is not unconnected to the invitation of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar by the British government to share perspectives on issues around the 2023 presidential elections.
“The media founder is the Deputy Director-General, Technical & Systems of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council.
“Chief Dokpesi wishes to thank all for their outpour of love, prayers and support following the news of the incident and to reassure that he is hale and hearty.”
The statement, however, did not give much details on what transpired leading to his delay.
As of the time of filing the report, the Met police had yet to respond to correspondents inquiries.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
