The father of Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), was taken from his Abuja home by police officers in several vehicles and brought to a station for questioning over his son's whereabouts. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, condemned the move, stating it violated the Constitution, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, and the Nigeria Police Act. Falana revealed that police later told him the 78-year-old man was not formally arrested but invited to assist with investigations, though he was taken into custody, questioned, and released with another family member. The man gave a statement not under caution, according to Falana, who emphasized that such cooperation could have been obtained at the residence without force. Neighbours reported police stormed the house, failed to find Adeniyi Adeyemi, then took the elderly father and copied contacts from his mobile phone before letting him go. Falana criticized the use of police resources in detaining an older civilian under such circumstances and urged that similar actions be avoided in future investigations. He expressed concern over the psychological impact of the operation on the father and questioned the necessity of removing him from his home. Authorities have not issued a formal statement on the reason for seeking Adeniyi Adeyemi or the legal basis for involving his father. The incident occurred Tuesday, though no specific time was given.
The police took an elderly man from his home and copied his phone contacts because they could not find his son, treating a private residence as an intelligence target. Falana's account shows the state used coercive tactics despite admitting the man was not under arrest. If the police can extract information from relatives without legal process, it sets a precedent for circumventing due process in civilian investigations. No justification has been offered for why Adeniyi Adeyemi is being sought or how his father's data was relevant.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
