The father and a family friend of the embattled Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, have been arrested in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged creation of a fake presidential council.
The arrest comes as the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) clarified that no Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account was successfully opened for the controversial council and that no public funds were released to it despite a budgetary allocation, contradicting an earlier position attributed to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
Adeniyi has been in hiding following allegations that he defrauded the Federal Government through the establishment of the purported presidential council. The Presidency has since described the PFIPC as a fictitious agency.
The suspect is facing charges bordering on alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences over his purported appointment as Director-General of the council. The matter is currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, confirmed the arrest during a telephone interview with journalists, describing the action as unlawful.
According to him, police operatives stormed the family residence located at Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso, and arrested Adeniyi’s father alongside a family friend who was visiting.
“Police have now stormed the house of the parents of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso.
“The father has been arrested. There is no legal basis for substituted arrests. The young man has promised to show up in court, so why arrest his father?” Falana queried.
Residents in the neighbourhood corroborated the incident, saying police officers arrived in multiple vehicles before taking the elderly man away.
One resident, who requested anonymity, said: “They came in four vehicles, and started harassing them and eventually took the father away. They didn’t allow the neighbours to intervene before they took him away. At the moment, there is a man in blue clothes patrolling the area.”
Another resident also confirmed that Adeniyi’s father was arrested alongside a visitor, while his mother was left traumatised.
“Baba was taken away with someone who came to visit them this morning (yesterday). They left the mother, who is currently in shock, but we have moved her away,” the resident said.
Falana has consistently maintained that the issues surrounding the alleged PFIPC should be handled strictly through due process, arguing that only the courts have the constitutional authority to determine criminal liability.
Reacting to reports of the arrest, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the matter was outside the command’s jurisdiction because it was being handled by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Force Headquarters, Abuja.
“The case involving Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a matter of national interest and is currently under investigation by the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
“As such, it falls outside my jurisdiction. Consequently, anyone seeking updates regarding the alleged arrest of his parents in Ogbomoso or any other developments in the case is kindly advised to contact the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, Force Headquarters, Abuja, or the FCID Liaison Public Relations Officer for accurate and official information,” Olayinka said.
Boluwatife Enome
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