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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has condemned the reported arrest and detention of the father of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who has been parading himself as the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
In a statement released on Tuesday, SERAP said it was “seriously concerned” about the reported arrest.
The presidency has publicly described the entity as ‘fictitious’ despite reports that it received an allocation of over ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“Under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and international standards, criminal responsibility is personal. No one should be arrested, detained or punished for an offence allegedly committed by another person,” SERAP said.
The rights group cited Section 36 and Section 35 of the Constitution, which guarantee personal liability and the right to personal liberty, adding that the arrest would also violate Nigeria’s obligations under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“If the reports are accurate, the authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Adeyemi’s father unless there is relevant admissible evidence that he personally committed a recognisable criminal offence. The rule of law demands individual criminal responsibility—not guilt by association,” SERAP stated.
SERAP also called on the National Assembly to “immediately exercise its constitutional powers under sections 88 and 89 of the Nigerian Constitution to investigate how a purportedly non-existent agency allegedly found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act and was allocated public funds.”
It further urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct “thorough, independent and impartial investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged budgetary allocation and identify and prosecute anyone suspected to be responsible, in accordance with the law.”
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SERAP’s statement adds to growing strong reactions to the PFIPC saga, especially from the political opposition and civil society.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN have also condemned the alleged arrest of Adeniyi’s father, describing it as an abuse of state power and a violation of due process.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threatened a N10 billion defamation suit against Adeniyi if he fails to withdraw allegations linking him to the PFIPC.
In a letter signed by his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, Gbajabiamila demanded that Adeniyi immediately remove all videos in which he allegedly made defamatory claims, including accusations of bribery and murder, against him.
Gbajabiamila said the allegations were false and damaging, and demanded a public retraction within 72 hours.
He demanded that a full retraction and apology be published in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms where a press conference Adeniyi addressed on June 26 was circulated.
Gbajabiamila said failure to comply with the demands would leave him with no option but to commence legal proceedings against the embattled Adeniyi without further notice.
