PFIPC: Adeyemi Arrested Before Planned Talks With Trump Officials — US Firm

A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has raised concerns over the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Naija News reports that the firm claimed that Adeyemi was taken into custody shortly before he was scheduled to speak with senior officials in the administration of United States President, Donald Trump.

In a statement posted on 𝕏, the organisation said it was preparing to facilitate discussions between Adeyemi and the American officials when it received information about his arrest by Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

“We learned a short time ago that Mr #Adeyemi has been arrested by Nigerian law enforcement just as we were preparing for him to speak with senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration,” the firm stated.

Von Batten-Montague-York said Adeyemi was expected to provide documentary evidence and a sworn statement concerning allegations he had made.

According to the firm, the materials were to be forwarded to senior members of the Trump administration who had requested information available regarding Adeyemi’s claims.

It said, “We are told that his arrest occurred shortly after it became public that we were in contact with him and just before he was expected to provide us with evidentiary materials and a sworn statement regarding his account.

“Those materials were to be transmitted to senior members of the Trump administration, who had requested that we provide all available information concerning Mr Adeyemi’s allegations.”

The lobbying organisation said it would formally inform American officials about Adeyemi’s arrest and raise concerns over the circumstances surrounding it.

It is alleged that information available to it suggested that the arrest was expedited to prevent Adeyemi from presenting evidence to the United States Government.

“Tomorrow, we will report that Mr Adeyemi has been arrested. We will also report our concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding his arrest,” the firm said.

It further alleged that the arrest was pushed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to stop Adeyemi from presenting his claims to US officials.

“We will keep the public updated on developments,” the lobbying firm added.

Adeyemi was arrested shortly after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant against him for failing to appear for his arraignment.