By Blessing Elo Oghene
The self-styled Director-General of the alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, was on Wednesday arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.
Adeyemi, who had been in detention since July 14 following his arrest on the strength of a bench warrant issued by the court, was brought before Justice Mohammed Umar on an eight-count charge.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Following his arraignment, the court ordered that Adeyemi be remanded at Kuje Prison pending October 12, when the case is expected to proceed to full hearing.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has taken over the prosecution of the case from the police, with the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, leading the prosecution.
The prosecution also requested an accelerated hearing of the matter.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Mr Genesis Francis, urged the court to consider his client’s bail application, saying the defendant was suffering from a contagious ailment and had a medical appointment scheduled for Friday.
The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that adequate medical facilities were available to attend to the defendant’s health needs while in custody.
Justice Umar subsequently ruled that the bail application would be heard on the next adjourned date.
Among the witnesses listed to testify in the case are the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.
Other witnesses include officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi had granted an interview to Channels Television from his hideout, where he alleged that threats to his life were responsible for his withdrawal from public view.
He denied hiding from law enforcement agencies to evade investigation into his alleged involvement in the PFIPC controversy.
Adeyemi also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as Director-General of the disputed council.
According to him, individuals from whom he allegedly borrowed the money had subsequently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the matter.
An interim police investigation report alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and other official documents to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate Federal Government agency.
The police said the investigation began after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police on October 17, 2025, over the alleged forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued by the office.
The petition reportedly stated that preliminary findings revealed that the documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms.
The documents were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the PFIPC, which investigators described as a non-existent government agency.
Adeyemi, identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
One of the individuals allegedly linked to the matter, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, reportedly died in a fire at a hotel in Abuja.
Adeyemi has, however, denied that the PFIPC was non-existent and has called for an independent, multi-stakeholder panel to investigate the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budgetary provision for the council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was willing to provide documentary evidence and cooperate fully with investigators if an independent panel was constituted.
He proposed that the panel include representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, diplomatic missions, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the EFCC.
Adeyemi also said his decision to stay away from public view was reinforced by what he described as controversial circumstances surrounding the death of Tanimola, whom he identified as a key intermediary in the matter.
Among the allegations contained in the charge was that Adeyemi, alongside two other persons identified as Femi and Anu, allegedly forged presidential letter-headed papers on March 8, 2024, within the jurisdiction of the court.
Another count alleged that they forged a request for collaboration with the Ministry concerning land requisition and offices across the 36 states of the federation, purportedly issued from the State House, Abuja.
The charges stated that the alleged offences were punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
