Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has criticised the reported arrest of the father of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the promoter of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing the action as unlawful.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Falana argued that Nigerian laws do not permit law enforcement agencies to arrest a person’s relative over allegations against another individual.
According to the senior advocate, the Constitution, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and the Nigeria Police Act all prohibit the arrest of family members in place of a suspect.
“Criminality is not transferable,” Falana said.
He explained that only a person reasonably suspected of committing an offence can legally be arrested, adding that the courts have consistently upheld that principle.
Falana cited a Court of Appeal judgment which declared the arrest of a suspect’s mother unconstitutional, noting that such actions have since been expressly prohibited by law.
Reacting to the police operation in Ogbomoso, where Adeyemi’s father and a family friend were reportedly taken into custody, Falana disclosed that police authorities later contacted him to clarify the situation.
According to him, officers explained that the elderly man was not treated as a suspect but was invited to assist investigators and provide a statement.
“The police merely invited him to take them to a particular place as part of their investigation… after his statement was taken, he was released,” Falana said.
Despite the clarification, the lawyer maintained that investigators should have obtained the elderly man’s statement at his residence instead of taking him to a police station.
“I do hope that this will not repeat itself,” he added.
The development comes amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the PFIPC, an organisation the Presidency has declared non-existent.
Adeyemi is currently facing charges bordering on forgery, impersonation and the alleged unlawful creation of the council, with the case scheduled to resume in court on July 27.
Source: Arise TV
