The Nigeria Police Force has declined to produce the self-proclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the activities of the controversial organisation.
At the committee’s sitting on Wednesday, police representatives informed lawmakers that Adeniyi remained in lawful custody under a subsisting court remand order and could not be released or presented before the panel without judicial approval.
The committee, headed by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), had earlier directed the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to ensure Adeniyi’s appearance before lawmakers by noon on Wednesday as part of its ongoing probe into the operations of the alleged phantom agency.
Explaining the failure to comply with the directive, the police maintained that producing the suspect without the authorisation of the court would amount to a breach of the remand order already in force.
According to the officers, while the Force remains willing to cooperate fully with the National Assembly’s investigation, it must operate within the confines of the law and existing judicial processes.
The police therefore urged the committee to obtain a written court warrant or other legal authorisation permitting Adeniyi’s temporary release from custody, assuring lawmakers that such approval would enable them to produce the suspect without violating the court’s directive.
The development temporarily stalled the committee’s effort to question Adeniyi over the activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, as lawmakers are expected to consider the next legal steps to secure his appearance.
