…Femi Falana, SAN faults move
By Kehinde Jacobs
Tension gripped a family compound in Ogbomoso on Monday morning after operatives of the Nigeria Police Force stormed the residence of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled ‘Director-General’ of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, and arrested his elderly father.
According to media reports, the police operation also led to the arrest of a family friend who had visited the Adeyemi home earlier in the day. The development left Adeyemi’s aged mother in visible shock, relatives at the scene said.
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi recently made headlines after the PFIPC was publicly disowned and declared to have no affiliation with the Presidency or any arm of government.
The council had been presenting itself as a federal intervention body, a claim government officials denied. Adeyemi himself has since been linked to investigations over the group’s activities and alleged impersonation of government functions.
Confirming the arrest, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, told a journalist that the police took the elder Adeyemi into custody despite the absence of the principal suspect.
“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 said.
The senior lawyer’s remarks point to Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, and to long-standing legal precedent that frowns on “substituted” or proxy arrests where a relative is detained in place of an accused person who is not immediately available.
Residents of the area said the police team arrived at the family residence in the early hours and left with two men: the elder Adeyemi and his visitor.
No official statement had been released by the Oyo State Police Command at the time of filing this report regarding the specific charges or the station where the men are being held.
The arrest has reignited debate over police procedure in high-profile cases involving family members of persons under investigation. Legal observers note that while law enforcement agencies have a duty to ensure suspects appear for questioning or trial, the practice of detaining relatives has repeatedly been challenged in court as unconstitutional.
For the Adeyemi family, the incident has created fresh distress. Neighbors described the elder Mr. Adeyemi as a quiet, elderly man with no known involvement in his son’s public affairs, and said his wife was left distraught after the operation.
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, through intermediaries, has reportedly maintained that he intends to honor court processes and appear as required. It remains unclear whether the police action was prompted by a failure to produce him, a new warrant, or intelligence gathered during the PFIPC probe.
As of press time, efforts to reach the Oyo Police Public Relations Officer for comment were unsuccessful. The PFIPC saga continues to draw public attention amid questions about accountability, due process, and the limits of police power in pursuing suspects.
