The controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3bn Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal intensified on Monday following the reported arrest of the father of the council’s promoter, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Adeyemi, who claims to be the council’s Director-General, is currently on trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges including conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation.
According to witnesses, police officers stormed the family residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and arrested Adeyemi’s father alongside a visitor. The incident has sparked outrage, with legal experts and human rights groups questioning the legality of the arrest.
Senior lawyer Femi Falana confirmed the development, describing it as unlawful and lacking legal basis. Neighbors also reported that officers arrived in multiple vehicles and took the elderly man away, leaving his wife in shock.
Legal concerns have since mounted. The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), said Nigerian law does not permit the arrest of relatives to pressure a suspect. Other senior lawyers echoed this position, citing provisions in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which prohibit “substitutional arrest.”
However, they noted that the arrest would be lawful if Adeyemi’s father is independently suspected of involvement in the alleged offense.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to clarify the reason for the arrest. A spokesperson said he had not been briefed on the operation.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation stated that no public funds were released to the PFIPC, noting that the council never completed the process required to operate a government account.
Lawmakers have also distanced themselves from the controversy, insisting that the National Assembly neither created the agency nor initiated its budget allocation.
Human rights group, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, condemned the arrest and called for the immediate release of Adeyemi’s father, describing the action as unconstitutional unless backed by evidence of wrongdoing.
The scandal continues to raise questions about how the PFIPC, previously disowned by the Presidency, appeared in the 2026 federal budget.
