Falana Questions Legality of Police Invitation for Adeyemi’s Father in PFIPC Probe

Renowned human rights barrister, Femi Falana, SAN, has voiced strong disapproval regarding the Nigeria Police Force's approach in questioning the father of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is purportedly the Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). During an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Falana, who serves as legal counsel for the younger Adeyemi, asserted that the police had no legal grounds to bring the elderly parent to a police facility.

Mr. Falana disclosed that police officials in Abuja had informed him that Mr. Adeyemi's father was not apprehended but merely requested to aid ongoing investigations. However, he maintained that, “The reported arrest of Mr Adeyemi’s father cannot be justified under the Constitution, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, and under the Nigeria Police Act.”

The Senior Advocate, however, acknowledged that law enforcement agents later provided him with a clearer explanation of the incident. He recounted, “I got a call from the police officers in Abuja this evening, where I was informed that the old man wasn’t really arrested. The police merely invited him to take them to a particular place as part of their investigation, and that he was asked to make a statement.”

Falana further elaborated that the statement provided by the elderly man was not given under caution, and both he and another relative, who had also been taken in, were subsequently released following the procedure. He stated, “He made a statement, not under caution, and after his statement was taken, and the family member who was arrested along with him, he was allowed to go home.”

The prominent lawyer insisted that the police had alternative methods for obtaining the necessary statement without physically escorting Mr. Adeyemi's father to a police station. He asserted, “Whichever way it is, if the police officers involved had wanted the father of Mr. Adeyemi to assist them in their investigation, they should have taken his statement in his house and not in a police station. I do hope that this will not repeat itself.”

Previously, PUNCH Online had reported that law enforcement agents descended on the Adeyemi family home, taking the patriarch into custody during their search for his son. Despite being taken in, the elderly individual was released within a few hours.

Following his release, an anonymous neighbour confirmed that the police subjected Mr. Adeyemi's father to thorough questioning concerning his son's location before permitting him to return to his residence. The neighbour revealed, “Baba has been released. He was questioned about his son’s whereabouts, and the police also copied the contacts on his phone. We don’t know what they intend to use them for.”

Earlier accounts from residents indicated that multiple police vehicles converged on the family's property, and officers escorted Mr. Adeyemi's father away after their initial failure to find his son. Furthermore, locals claimed that security personnel barred neighbours from interfering and maintained a presence in the vicinity for a period subsequent to the operation.