Fake government agency: Atiku’s aide condemns arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi’s father
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The father of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director-General of the disowned government agency at the centre of a raging controversy, has reportedly been arrested in place of his son.
According to senior lawyer Femi Falana, police operatives stormed the family’s Ogbomoso residence and whisked the elderly man away, the Punch newspaper reports.
“Police have now stormed the house of the parents of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso. 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?” Falana said.
Commenting on the arrest, Paul Ibe, spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, condemned the move.
“Arresting the father of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man at the centre of the #GbajaGate scandal, is absolute nonsense and stands condemned. There is no provision in our laws for substituted arrest — the arrest of a family member, friend, or associate of a suspect with no connection whatsoever to the alleged crime,” he said.
He added: “What has the father of the man the Presidency claims is a ‘phantom’ DG of a ‘phantom’ agency got to do with it? This is overreach, an abuse of power. Why did they allow Prince Adeniyi to slip away, and now flex their powers by arresting the father in his stead? Trust the Tinubu-led APC administration — they’re always majoring in minors. The poor man should be released immediately!”
