African Independent Television (AIT) boss, Chief Raymond Dokpesi has is in pains and cried out…

“Definitely if I had brought my passport today, they would have impounded it, that is what it is. There are no two ways about it but the passport is with the court. But even if they decide to do so, like I said the passport is a property of the federal republic of Nigeria, so they can request for it.”

“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 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?”

“My ordeal is the handiwork of the Buhari federal government. Honestly there is nothing I can do. I am already in court. We have challenged Order 6 and all the Orders that are there. I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is through my own sweat that I went for treatment.”

For those who don’t know, Dokpesi was interrogated for two and a half hours at the Comptroller General’s Investigation Department and was finally allowed to go home at about 3:10 PM on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.