Olatunji Disu, the Inspector-General of Police, has explained why the Nigeria Police Force was unable to produce Adeyemi Adeniyi, the self-styled Director-General of the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, before the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the activities of the controversial body.
The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, on Monday directed the IGP to produce Adeyemi after testimonies from several government institutions implicated the purported council and disowned its operations.
The directive followed submissions by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force and other agencies, all of which distanced themselves from the purported council.
At the resumed investigative hearing on Wednesday, Disu was represented by Olufemi Akinola, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Deputy Director at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, alongside Bashir Abdullahi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Explaining the police’s inability to produce Adeyemi, Akinola said the suspect is currently being detained pursuant to a valid order of the Federal High Court, adding that the police could only comply with the committee’s directive after obtaining the appropriate court authorisation.
‘We are here to convey the confidence of the Inspector General of Police.
‘The Nigeria Police Force may not be able to produce the suspect as requested in view of the subsisting warrant.’
‘The Nigeria Police Force has one of the constitutional oversight powers of the National Assembly and remains committed to cooperate with the committee in the discharge of its mandate.
‘However, in this case, it will be appreciated if the reproduction warrant could be sought from the court of competent jurisdiction to enable the police to comply with this request,’ Akinola said.
Responding, Gagdi accepted the explanation, assuring the police that the committee would immediately initiate the legal process required to obtain the necessary court order.
He also pledged that the committee would formally communicate with the Office of the Inspector-General of Police once the order had been secured.
The House of Representatives constituted the ad hoc committee to investigate the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council following allegations that it operated without legal backing while presenting itself as a federal government agency.
At previous sittings, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Budget Office all told the committee that they neither recognised the council nor had any official dealings with it after establishing that it was not a legitimate government agency.
The committee is expected to determine how the body came into existence, identify those responsible for its operations and recommend appropriate legislative and legal actions.