Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has attacked the Nigeria Police Force for how it questioned Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi's father, saying there was no legal basis for bringing the elderly man to a police station. Speaking on Arise News on Tuesday, Falana, who works for Adeyemi, argued that the action violated the Constitution, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Nigeria Police Act.
"The reported arrest of Mr Adeyemi's father cannot be justified under the Constitution, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, and under the Nigeria Police Act," Falana said.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria later revealed that police officials had called to clarify that Adeyemi's father wasn't arrested but simply invited to help with their investigation. Police officers in Abuja told him the elderly man was taken to point out a location related to their enquiries, where he made a statement before going home.
"I got a call from the police officers in Abuja this evening, where I was informed that the old man wasn't really arrested. The police merely invited him to take them to a particular place as part of their investigation, and that he was asked to make a statement," he told reporters.
Falana noted that the statement wasn't taken under caution and that Adeyemi's father and another family member were released after the exercise. Still, the senior lawyer insisted the police should have obtained the statement at the family home, not at a police station.
"Whichever way it is, if the police officers involved had wanted the father of Mr Adeyemi to assist them in their investigation, they should have taken his statement in his house and not in a police station. I do hope that this will not repeat itself," he said.
Falana's comments came after police officers visited the Adeyemi residence while searching for Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who faces trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He's been charged with conspiracy, forgery and impersonation linked to the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council scandal.
