Police Arrest Father of PFIPC Figure in Ogbomoso, Lawyers Decry Unlawful Substituted Arrest

Police officers stormed a residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and detained the father of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi — the self‑proclaimed Director‑General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) — along with a family friend. The elderly mother was left in shock. Human‑rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) condemned the operation as an unlawful “substituted arrest,” noting that the son had promised to appear in court and that no legal basis exists for arresting a relative. The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, and several senior advocates echoed the view, citing the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Constitution, which forbid arresting a person merely to pressure a suspect. The PFIPC itself has been denied legal existence by the presidency, labelled a “ghost agency” with a purported N1.3 billion budget but no operational account at the Central Bank of Nigeria, according to the Office of the Accountant‑General. The arrest adds a new dimension to the ongoing PFIPC scandal and has sparked calls for due‑process compliance.