‘They surrounded my house at midnight’- Alleged fake DG’s father

The father of the embattled acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Prince Mathew Adebayo Adeniyi, has narrated how police allegedly stormed his Ogbomoso residence twice while searching for his son.

Pa Adetunji Ajayi Adeniyi said the first operation happened around 12:30am on Saturday, when security operatives allegedly invaded his residence in the Technical College area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

According to him, the operatives jumped over the fence, bent the barbed wire, broke the padlock at the gate and surrounded the house before demanding that the family open the door.

“We woke up and my wife said, ‘Aren’t people within our compound?’ Then they started banging at the door and windows that we should open the door to the main house,” he said.

“They had jumped over the fence, bending the barbed wire we installed. Those that jumped in now broke the padlock at the gate to allow others to gain entrance.”

Pa Adeniyi said the operatives identified themselves as government security agents after he demanded to know who they were.

He said they told him they were looking for his son, Bayo, but he informed them that his son was not at home.

“They surrounded the house. They insisted we should open the door but I demanded their identity and they said government security agents and I opened the door,” he said.

“They disclosed they were looking for Bayo. I said I didn’t have Bayo at home.”

The elderly man alleged that the operatives searched the house, broke wardrobes and seized his phone and his wife’s phone before leaving around 1am.

He said they returned around 2:30am and gave back the phones.

Pa Adeniyi said the police later returned on Monday around 11:30am and took him to the Sunsun Divisional Police Headquarters for questioning over his son’s whereabouts.

“They came back yesterday at about 11:30am. They whisked me away and returned me at about 5pm,” he said.

He said he told the police that his son had visited Ogbomoso about eight days earlier and returned to Abuja three days later.

“They were angry I didn’t know his whereabouts, that I don’t know where my son lives. I said I didn’t say that; I told them he lives in Abuja,” he added.

The elderly man said he was not maltreated at the police station, adding that he was only questioned about his son before being returned home.

“I was not mistreated at the station. They just asked me questions about my son’s whereabouts and at about 5pm they returned me home,” he said.

Neighbours said the police came in about three vehicles on Monday, causing panic in the area.

Pa Adeniyi said he did not know the offence his son was accused of committing, adding that he only knew him to be working in Abuja.

“I don’t know the offence of my son. You just said he is wanted. You insisted what was his job and I told you that he said he was working under government in Abuja,” he said.

Asked about his son’s character, he described him as gentle and said he had never known him to be a troublemaker.

“My son is gentle, he is never a troublemaker, and I know he works in Abuja under the government,” he said.

Prince Adebayo Adeniyi is at the centre of the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

The Presidency had disowned the alleged agencies, while President Bola Tinubu ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the matter.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, had earlier faulted the reported arrest of Pa Adeniyi, saying there was no legal basis for substituted arrest.

Police had yet to issue a public response to Pa Adeniyi’s account as of the time of this report.