The Nigeria Police Force has arrested the father of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the man at the centre of the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal that has continued to generate controversy across the country.
The arrest, carried out on Monday at the family’s residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has sparked concerns among legal practitioners and human rights advocates over the legality of detaining relatives of criminal suspects.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, confirmed the development, alleging that police officers stormed the residence and took Adeyemi’s father into custody. Falana argued that there was no legal justification for the arrest, especially as the suspect had already indicated his readiness to appear before the court.
The latest development comes as Adeyemi is standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Federal Government alleges that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), organisations it insists were never legally established.
The case has attracted renewed public attention following reports that the disputed council appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite earlier statements by government officials disowning the organisation.
The revelation has raised fresh questions about how the alleged council was able to operate within government circles and reportedly obtain official recognition.
Investigators allege that Adeyemi used forged government documents to secure official privileges, including the opening of bank accounts and access to government facilities. Authorities maintain that the agencies he claimed to represent never existed under Nigerian law.
The arrest of Adeyemi’s father has further intensified the controversy, with legal experts questioning the action of the police.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, alongside other legal practitioners, has maintained that Nigerian law does not permit the arrest or detention of family members solely to compel a suspect to surrender unless such relatives are directly linked to the alleged offence or are themselves under investigation.
As court proceedings continue, the controversy surrounding the alleged fake agency is expected to remain in the spotlight, with increasing calls for a thorough investigation into how the organisation allegedly operated and whether any public officials played a role in its activities.
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