The father of Adeyemi Adeniyi, the man at the centre of the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal, has alleged that security operatives raided his residence three times within 48 hours while searching for his son.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Yoruba, the elderly Adeniyi said the repeated visits by the operatives caused panic in his household and left him traumatised.
According to him, the first team of officers arrived at his residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and gained access to the compound before carrying out a thorough search of the house.
He alleged that the operatives returned later the same day and again the following night, insisting that they were determined to locate his son.
He said the officers searched different parts of the house, questioned him extensively and demanded to know the whereabouts of his son.
The elder Adeniyi maintained that while he knew his son lived and worked in Abuja, he had no knowledge of his exact residential address or the circumstances that had brought him under investigation.
“I kept telling them that I did not know where my son lived in Abuja. I only knew he worked there,” he said.
He alleged that after failing to provide the information the operatives were seeking, he was taken away for further questioning before he was eventually released.
The elderly man said he was shocked by the development, insisting that he had always known his son as a quiet and law-abiding person.
“I never imagined he would become the subject of this kind of investigation. As a father, the entire experience has been painful and difficult to understand,” he said.
His account comes amid an ongoing investigation into the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation alleged to have falsely presented itself as a government agency.
Adeyemi is facing charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation in connection with the operations of the council.
The alleged arrest of Adeyemi’s father has also attracted reactions from legal practitioners. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) reportedly criticised the action, arguing that criminal responsibility is personal and that relatives of suspects should not be arrested unless there is evidence linking them to the alleged offence.
However, the Nigeria Police Force has denied reports that Adeyemi’s father was arrested, maintaining that he was only invited for questioning and was not detained. The police position contrasts with the account given by the elder Adeniyi, who insists he was taken into custody during the operation.
