The controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal took a new turn on Monday after the Nigeria Police reportedly arrested the father of the council’s promoter, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
According to reports, police officers stormed the family home in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, on Monday morning and arrested Adeyemi’s father, along with a family friend who was visiting at the time. Eyewitnesses said the operation left Adeyemi’s elderly mother in shock.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), confirmed the arrest and criticised the action, describing it as unlawful.
He argued that arresting a suspect’s relative instead of the suspect himself has no basis in law, especially since Adeyemi has already indicated his willingness to appear in court.
The arrest has drawn strong reactions from senior lawyers and the Nigerian Bar Association. NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), said the law does not permit the arrest of family members simply to pressure a suspect to surrender.
Several Senior Advocates of Nigeria also described "arrest by proxy" as unconstitutional, citing provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Police Act, which prohibit the practice unless the person arrested is independently linked to the alleged offence.
Legal experts stressed that criminal responsibility is personal and cannot be transferred to relatives. However, they noted that if Adeyemi’s father is being investigated based on evidence connecting him to the case, the police would be within their rights to arrest him.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to explain the reason for the arrest. Force spokesperson, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said he had not been briefed on the matter and requested details of the unit involved before commenting.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation insisted that no government funds were ever released to the PFIPC.
According to the office, although the council applied to open a government account, the process was never completed because the required account signatories were not provided. As a result, the account never became operational.
Officials also clarified that despite the council appearing in the 2026 Appropriation Act, no money was disbursed because there was no functional account to receive government funds.
The scandal has also sparked debate in the National Assembly. Senators defended the legislature, insisting lawmakers neither created the council nor inserted its budget into the appropriation bill.
They explained that government agencies and their budget proposals originate from the Executive before being transmitted to the National Assembly for approval.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights also condemned the arrest, calling on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately release Adeyemi’s father unless there is credible evidence linking him to the alleged offences.
The rights group described the arrest as a violation of constitutional rights and warned against the use of law enforcement agencies to intimidate the relatives of criminal suspects.
