Adeniyi Adeyemi, the purported Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has rejected the House of Representatives ad hoc committee’s plan to interrogate him at an undisclosed location while he remains in police custody.
Adeyemi insists that any appearance before lawmakers should be conducted publicly.
Speaking through his lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, on Wednesday, Adeyemi stated that while he welcomes the House’s inquiry into the establishment and operations of the PFIPC, he opposes the committee’s intention to question him behind closed doors.
Oyedokun argued that, in the interest of fairness, Adeyemi should be allowed to respond publicly to the allegations previously made against him during the committee’s open hearings.
“We have learned that the committee intends to interview our client at an undisclosed date and place. We respectfully urge the committee to reconsider. Every other party involved has been heard in public, and the allegations against our client were made openly. He deserves the same opportunity to respond in public,” the statement read.
The lawyer further called on the committee to exercise its constitutional powers under Section 89 to compel the police to produce Adeyemi at a public hearing.
“Section 89 of the Constitution empowers the committee to summon any person and compel their attendance. We ask the committee to use this authority to require the police to bring our client before a public sitting. He is prepared to appear on any date set by the committee, accompanied by his counsel, and to answer every question put to him,” Oyedokun said.
He emphasized that while the criminal allegations against Adeyemi would be addressed before the Federal High Court and other investigative agencies, the House’s inquiry into the origins and legitimacy of the PFIPC should be held openly.
“Our client does not ask the committee to compromise any ongoing investigations. He is willing to answer, in public, the questions for which this committee was constituted, while reserving, on legal advice, any response to matters currently before a court or investigative agency. Those can be addressed privately if necessary. However, it is not right that his entire account should be taken behind closed doors simply because part of it is sensitive,” he added.
Oyedokun also challenged the legality of his client’s continued detention, arguing that the bench warrant obtained by the police only authorized Adeyemi’s arrest and production before the Federal High Court, not his prolonged detention.
“No order committing him to custody has ever been made, served, or shown to him. None could have been made, as he has never been brought before any court,” Oyedokun contended.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the PFIPC announced plans to question Adeyemi at an undisclosed location while he remains in police custody. Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi explained that this arrangement was to avoid interfering with ongoing investigations by the Nigerian Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Gagdi stated that although the committee had invited Adeyemi, the police informed them he remained in custody pursuant to a court order. He stressed that the National Assembly would not act in a way that undermines the judiciary or violates the principle of separation of powers, noting that lawmakers do not have the authority to override an existing court order.
The committee’s investigation centers on allegations related to the creation and operations of the PFIPC, including claims of impersonation, forgery, financial impropriety, and the unlawful use of government facilities and official insignia.
