PFIPC Probe: Police mum as reported arrest of Adeyemi’s father raises constitutional questions

The Nigeria Police Force has remained silent over the reported arrest of the father of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the embattled promoter of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), as human rights groups questioned the constitutionality of the move.

They warned that Nigerian law prohibits the arrest of relatives in place of criminal suspects unless they are independently implicated in an offence.

BusinessDay could not independently verify the reported arrest, as repeated efforts to obtain confirmation from Anietie Iniedu Police Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, proved unsuccessful.

Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation in connection with the alleged N1.3 billion “ghost agency” scandal.

According to reports, police operatives on Monday stormed the residence of Adeyemi’s parents in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and allegedly arrested his father alongside a family friend who had visited the home.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), condemned the reported action, describing it as unlawful.

“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.

Residents in the area also claimed officers arrived in multiple vehicles before taking the elderly man away, leaving Adeyemi’s mother reportedly in shock.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported arrest of the father of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, describing the action as unconstitutional, unlawful and tantamount to hostage-taking.

The rights group called on the Nigeria Police Force to immediately release the elderly man or, where there is credible evidence linking him to any offence, charge him before a competent court without further delay.

Speaking with BusinessDay on the reports that police operatives arrested Adeyemi’s father in connection with the ongoing investigation, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, criticised what he described as the recurring practice of “substitute arrest” by law enforcement agencies.

According to Onwubiko, criminal responsibility is personal and the law does not permit the arrest of one person for an offence allegedly committed by another.

“It amounts to hostage-taking because one person cannot commit an offence and then you go and arrest another person. It is unconstitutional.

“It is a violation of the man’s fundamental rights to liberty, freedom of movement and dignity as a human person,” he said.

He described the reported arrest as a gross violation of the suspect’s father’s constitutional rights and urged the police to publicly explain the legal basis for the operation.

“The police need to come clean on the reason,” Onwubiko stated.

The HURIWA coordinator alleged that the reported incident reflects a pattern in police operations where relatives of wanted suspects are arrested to compel suspects to surrender.

“This is a practice that the police have always been doing. When they go to arrest a suspect and the person is not there, they end up arresting the parents to force the suspect to surrender himself. That is not good policing. It is not lawful and it is unconstitutional,” he said.

Onwubiko stressed that law enforcement agencies can only arrest or invite an individual for questioning where there is evidence linking that person to the alleged crime under investigation.

“You don’t arrest somebody in place of another person, especially when there is no evidence that the person is connected to the crime being investigated.

“If the person is involved or is a person of interest, then the police can invite the person for interrogation. But you do not invade the home of a suspect’s father simply because you could not find the suspect,” he added.

He urged the Nigeria Police Force to immediately release Adeyemi’s father if there is no lawful basis for his detention.

“The police need to free him without any further waste of time. If they believe they have a valid reason for arresting him, then they should charge him to court. The law is clear; you cannot detain people arbitrarily,” Onwubiko said.

The rights advocate maintained that adherence to constitutional safeguards and due process is essential to maintaining public confidence in the country’s criminal justice system.

He warned that arbitrary arrests undermine the rule of law and violate fundamental human rights.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to officially confirm or explain the reported arrest.