Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has questioned the legality of the arrest of the father of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing the action as unlawful and contrary to established legal principles.

The arrest has sparked fresh controversy amid the ongoing investigation involving Adeyemi, who has come under public scrutiny over his claims of heading the purported council, which the Presidency has said does not exist.

According to reports, police officers stormed the Adeyemi family residence in Ogbomoso on Monday morning and arrested Adeyemi’s father. A family friend who was visiting the residence at the time was also reportedly taken into custody.

The operation was said to have left Adeyemi’s elderly mother distressed as officers searched the premises in what was believed to be an effort to locate the younger Adeyemi.

Reacting to the development, Falana argued that Nigerian law does not permit the arrest or detention of relatives in place of persons wanted by law enforcement agencies.

“The father has been arrested. There is no legal basis for substituted arrests. The young man has promised to show up in court, so why arrest his father?” the senior advocate said.

The arrest comes amid the controversy surrounding Adeyemi, who had presented himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council before the body was publicly disowned by the Presidency.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrest or the legal basis for detaining Adeyemi’s father and the family friend.