The controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council scandal took a fresh turn on Monday following the reported arrest of the father of the council’s promoter, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the controversial council, is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Federal Government has listed the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside 10 other individuals, as prosecution witnesses in the case.
Sources familiar with the development said Adeyemi’s father was arrested at the family residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, during a police operation on Monday morning. A family friend who was reportedly present during the visit was also said to have been taken into custody.
The development was confirmed by senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who questioned the legality of the arrest.
“Police stormed the house of the parents of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi on Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso,” Falana said.
“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?” he added.
A resident of the neighbourhood also alleged that police officers arrived at the premises in four vehicles before taking Adeyemi’s father away, an incident that reportedly left the suspect’s elderly mother distressed.
The reported arrest comes as investigations into the controversial council continue, with authorities probing allegations that the body operated as an unauthorised government agency through forged official documents and impersonation.
The Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement on the reported arrest at the time of filing this report.
