AIT boss Raymond Dokpesi released on bail after being briefly detained at Heathrow Airport

NIGERIAN media mogul Chief Raymond Dokpesi has been released by the UK authorities following a recent incident which led to his brief detention at the London Heathrow Airport yesterday .

Chief Dokpesi, 71, is the founder of Daar Communications, the parent company of Africa Independent Television (AIT). He is also a leading member of Nigeria's main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and in 2017, he contested for the party's national chairmanship, losing out to Uche Secondus.

A Daar Communications spokesman said: “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 and 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.”

One London police source said: "On Sunday, January 8, a 71-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow Airport over suspicion of rape. The arrest relates to an allegation of rape in August 2019.

“The man has been bailed, pending further enquiries, to a date in early April. Enquiries into the circumstances continue."