Police operatives, on Monday, reportedly stormed the Ogbomoso residence of the family of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, the central figure in an ongoing forgery investigation linked to an alleged phantom Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), arresting his father and a family friend who had visited the residence.

The operation took place at the family’s residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State with criticism from legal practitioners and residents, alleging that the arrest amounts to an unlawful attempt to compel Adeniyi to surrender himself to law enforcement authorities.

The incident reportedly left Adeniyi’s elderly mother in shock as officers conducted the operation.

The latest development comes amid an ongoing investigation into the activities surrounding the PFIPC, whose authenticity has been denied by the Nigerian Presidency.

The raid was confirmed in separate telephone conversations by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, as well as eyewitnesses familiar with the incident.

Describing the operation, Falana said, “Police have now stormed the house of the parents of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso.”

He condemned the arrest of Adeniyi’s father, arguing that it had no legal justification since the person being sought had reportedly undertaken to present himself before the appropriate authorities.

Falana stated, “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 lawyer’s comments reflect concerns that the arrest may amount to what legal practitioners commonly describe as a “substituted arrest” — the detention of a relative or associate in place of a suspect —a practice that Nigerian courts have repeatedly declared unlawful.

An anonymous resident of the neighbourhood also recounted the incident, alleging that a large contingent of police officers arrived at the family’s residence before taking the elderly man into custody.

According to the neighbour, the officers arrived in multiple vehicles and prevented members of the community from intervening during the operation.

The resident said, “They came with four vehicles, and they started harassing them and eventually took the father away. They didn’t allow the neighbours to intervene before they took him away. At the moment, there is a man in blue clothes patrolling the area”

The eyewitness further claimed that the heavy security presence created panic within the neighbourhood, as residents watched the operation unfold without knowing the reasons behind the arrest of Adeniyi’s father and the family friend.

As of the time of filing this report, the police had not issued an official statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrests or the legal basis for detaining the elderly man and the family associate.

It also remains unclear where the two individuals were taken following the operation or whether they have been formally charged with any offence.