The self-titled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has rejected plans by a House of Representatives ad hoc committee to question him in secret while in police custody, demanding instead that any legislative interrogation be held open to the public.
The parliamentary panel, led by Yusuf Gagdi, had announced on Tuesday that it would interview Adeyemi at an undisclosed location. Gagdi stated that private questioning was necessary to avoid disrupting 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). He added that lawmakers could not compel Adeyemi’s open appearance without violating a court order upholding his detention, citing the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
However, through a statement issued by his lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, on Wednesday, Adeyemi pushed back against the arrangement, urging the committee to reconsider its approach. Calling on the panel to invoke Section 89 of the Constitution to compel the police to produce him at a public session, the defence team insisted that fairness requires Adeyemi to address allegations publicly, just as previous witnesses had presented their testimonies before open cameras.
“Everyone else in this matter has been heard in public, and what has been said about our client was said in public,” Oyedokun stated. “He should be allowed to answer in the same place it was said”.
Adeyemi’s legal team clarified that while specific criminal allegations would be answered under oath before the Federal High Court and investigative bodies, the broader inquiry into how the PFIPC was established and which officials acted upon it remains a matter of public interest.
“Our client does not ask the committee to compromise any investigation,” the legal representation stressed. “He will answer in public the questions this committee was constituted to ask… What cannot be right is that the whole of his account be taken behind a closed door because part of it is sensitive”.
The defense also contested the legality of Adeyemi’s continued detention, arguing that the bench warrant executed by law enforcement only mandated his arrest and immediate production in court, rather than prolonged holding.
“No order committing him to custody has ever been made, served on him or shown to him, and none could have been made, because he has never been brought before any court,” Oyedokun said.
The House ad hoc committee continues to probe the controversial body amidst widespread allegations of impersonation, document forgery, financial impropriety, and the unauthorized usage of official government insignia and facilities.
An investigative television report covering the House panel’s summons and police custody developments in the ongoing PFIPC probe can be viewed via News Central TV’s report on the PFIPC probe. This broadcast outlines the summons issued to Adeyemi alongside key security chiefs during the legislative inquiry.