The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who faces charges relating to creating and operating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), in an Abuja prison.
Judge Mohammed Umar gave the remand order following Mr Adeyemi’s arraignment by the federal government on Wednesday.
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The order transferred Mr Adeyemi from police custody to the correctional facility in Kuje, Abuja.
Mr Adeyemi, 38, was arraigned on eight charges including forgery and impersonation.
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He confirmed that he understood all the counts when they were read to him, before answering, “not guilty” to the counts one after the other.
“In view of the not guilty plea by the defendant, he is due to have put himself for trial,” the prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, who is the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), said after the plea.
Mr Oyedepo, who took over the prosecution from the Nigerian police which filed the charges last year, urged the court to grant an order of accelerated trial, given the high level of public interest in the case.
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He also asked the court to remand Mr Adeyemi in prison custody pending the conclusion of trial.
However, Mr Adeyemi’s lawyer, Genesis Francis, informed the court of a bail application already filed on 12 January on behalf of the defendant.
Mr Francis said the bail application was set for hearing, having been served on the prosecution and the prosecution responded to it.
But the judge told the lawyer that the application would be heard during the next hearing.
Responding, Mr Francis told the court that the defendant was under medical care and already had an appointment scheduled for Friday.
But Mr Oyedepo immediately interjected and assured that the defence team would have access to Mr Adeyemi in custody, adding that “he will be well taken care of”.
Although Mr Francis maintained that the sickness “was communicable”, he did not disclose the nature of the illness.
After listening to both lawyers, the judge ordered that Mr Adeyemi be “remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending” the court’s decision on the bail application.
He adjourned the case until 12 October for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial.
Charges
The charges instituted last year by the Nigerian police, accused Mr Adeyemi and two others, identified as Femi and Anu and said to be at large, of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
In counts one, two, three, four, six, seven and eight, the prosecution alleged that Mr Adeyemi and the two other defendants conspired to forge several official documents, including a purported presidential appointment letter, State House letterheads, a conveyance approval for the take-off of the purported PFIPC, requests for approval of staff accounts and office space, and letters seeking collaboration with a federal ministry.
In count five, the prosecution alleged that Mr Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of PFIPC, an offence punishable under Section 179 of the Penal Code.
Mr Adeyemi denied the allegations during his arraignment on Wednesday.
The prosecution proposed 11 prosecution witnesses for the case. They include Mr Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to the president, civil servants, a police officer, officials posted to work with Mr Adeyemi, the proprietor of a hotel and a pastor.
Background
PREMIUM TIMES has reported how Mr Adeyemi gained access to government institutions and processes by presenting documents that purported to show that PFIPC had been created and recognised by the presidency.
He has been in police custody since 14 July, when police arrested him following a warrant issued by Judge Umar.
The case followed a petition by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the Inspector-General of Police and the State Security Service (SSS) on 17 October later year.
Mr Gbajabiamila complained about alleged forgery and impersonation linked to the purported PFIPC and Mr Adeyemi’s claim to be its director-general.
This prompted the police to arrest Mr Adeyemi at his office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja on 27 October.
According to the police investigation, officers recovered correspondence between the purported agency and several government ministries, departments and agencies. Investigators also traced 34 bank accounts linked to the operation, including nine accounts opened in the names of purported government agencies.
Mr Adeyemi spent 23 days in police custody before he was granted administrative bail on 19 November 2025 on health grounds, and the police filed an eight-count charge against him on 27 November.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Fake Agency Scandal: Adeyemi finally appears in court for arraignment
Failed arraignment attempts
Several attempts to bring Mr Adeyemi to court for arraignment failed.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on 3 February, but the attempt failed after his lawyer asked for more time. The lawyer argued at the time that the defence was served with the charges only recently. Judge Umar eventually adjourned the matter until 11 February.
But the court did not sit on 11 February, and a fresh date of 14 April was subsequently communicated.
Mr Adeyemi was absent from court on 14 April. His lawyer presented a letter indicating that he was ill and asked for an adjournment. The prosecution opposed the request and the court moved the case to 16 June.
Mr Adeyemi appeared on 16 June, but his lawyer told the court that he was unwell and unable to proceed. Judge Umar therefore fixed 14 July for the arraignment.
When the case was called on 14 July, the prosecution told the court that it did not know Mr Adeyemi’s whereabouts.
His defence lawyer, Mr Francis, told the judge that his client was unavailable and that the defence had tried to reach him. The lawyer further explained that Mr Adeyemi feared for his life and had written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu because his client wanted to remain alive to face the trial.
The prosecution then made an oral application for a warrant for his arrest, which Judge Umar granted, and fixed 30 September (today) for his arraignment.
Less than 12 hours after the court issued the order, the police said its Intelligence Response Team from Abuja was arrested in a hideout in Osun State.
He has remained in police custody since then until his arraignment today (Wednesday) and his subsequent remand in Kuje prison by the judge.
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