The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has announced plans to question the council’s alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, at a confidential location while he remains in police custody.
The committee said the decision was taken to avoid disrupting ongoing investigations being carried out by the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Committee Chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, made the disclosure during Tuesday’s hearing.
Gagdi explained that lawmakers would not insist on bringing Adeyemi to a public session because he is currently being held by the police under a valid court order.
“For the benefit of the general public, we are not refusing to invite Prince Adeniyi here. We have pronounced him to appear here and police have responded that he is in their custody based on the court order,” Gagdi said.
He added that the National Assembly would not violate an existing court order by demanding the suspect’s release.
“We do not have the power as the National Assembly to vacate an existing court order and say that somebody who is in the custody of the Nigerian Police should leave the police to appear before the National Assembly,” he stated.
According to him, lawmakers will instead visit Adeyemi at an undisclosed date and location, with the meeting taking place in the presence of his legal representatives and under police supervision.
“We will not announce to the general public when we will interact with Prince Adeniyi. We will not because the ICPC are investigating this matter. EFCC are investigating this matter. Part of this matter is before the court of law and many other agencies,” Gagdi said.
He explained that holding a public interrogation could interfere with investigations already being conducted by security and anti-corruption agencies.
“To say that we will put the suspect under direct camera and interact with him the way we are interacting with everyone here will definitely undermine the ongoing investigation by the EFCC and ICPC,” he added.
The committee chairman said the lawmakers would ensure the session was properly recorded to guarantee transparency.
“In view of that, we are meeting him on an unannounced date and at an unannounced time. We will meet him with a camera that will exonerate members of the committee on our interaction with him. Just as you came here with your lawyer, we will inform the police whenever we are going to meet him and, as directed by the court, it will be in the presence of his lawyers,” he said.
Gagdi stressed that the committee’s main objective is to hear directly from Adeyemi as part of its investigation into the alleged operations of the PFIPC.
“Whether he appears before this committee or this committee appears before him, the most important thing is to have an interaction with him to get some things clarified. And we are going to do just that,” he said.
The committee is investigating allegations surrounding the establishment and activities of the PFIPC, including claims of impersonation, forgery, financial misconduct and the unlawful use of government facilities and official insignia. Lawmakers are also examining how the organisation allegedly operated, who was involved and whether any public officials or institutions assisted its activities.
As part of the investigation, the committee has also invited the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, to explain how official Federal Government number plates allegedly linked to the council were obtained.
The panel is expected to conclude its hearings before submitting its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives.
