The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, in the Kuje Correctional Centre after he pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Adeyemi, 38, was arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Mohammed Umar following the takeover of the case by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), appeared for the Federal Government.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was originally filed by the Nigeria Police Force against Adeyemi and two other suspects, Femi and Anu, who are currently at large.
After the charges were read to him, Adeyemi pleaded not guilty to all eight counts.
Oyedepo told the court that the AGF had directed the Ministry of Justice to take over the prosecution from the police and that the case file would be reviewed.
He urged the court to adopt the existing charge and proceed with the arraignment.
Following Adeyemi’s plea, the prosecution asked the court to remand him in custody, citing the circumstances surrounding his alleged activities before his arrest.
However, his lawyer, Genesis Francis, urged the court to consider a bail application already filed and served on the prosecution.
Francis also told the court that Adeyemi had a medical appointment scheduled for Friday over an ailment he described as contagious.
Oyedepo opposed the defendant’s immediate release but assured the court that Adeyemi would receive medical attention while in custody, noting that the correctional centre had medical personnel and facilities.
Justice Umar declined to hear the bail application on Wednesday, citing the number of cases on the court’s cause list.
The judge subsequently ordered Adeyemi’s remand in Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until October 12, 2026, for hearing of the bail application and continuation of the trial.
Adeyemi’s arraignment followed his earlier failure to appear before the court, which prompted Justice Umar to issue an arrest warrant following an application by police counsel, Wisdom Madaki. He was arrested about 24 hours after the order.
The prosecution alleges that Adeyemi operated the purported council from an office on the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
Among the allegations against him is that he conspired with the two suspects still at large to forge official documents.
The prosecution also accused him of forging an appointment letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He was further accused of forging presidential letterhead and other documents purportedly originating from the State House, as well as requests for government collaboration, land requisition and office accommodation across the 36 states.
The charges also allege that Adeyemi forged documents relating to staff account approval and the purported commencement of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the PFIPC.
In another count, the prosecution accused him of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, contrary to Section 179 of the Penal Code.
The case stems from controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC and claims that Adeyemi presented it as a government agency backed by the Presidency.
The Presidency had denied recognising the council as a government agency, while the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was directed to investigate its activities.
The ICPC subsequently said Adeyemi’s appointment letter was fraudulent and did not originate from the Presidency.
Adeyemi later alleged that he paid N400m through a middleman as part of an arrangement to secure his appointment as the council’s Director-General. He also accused Gbajabiamila of involvement in the alleged payment, a claim the Chief of Staff denied.
The dispute led to a separate N15bn suit filed by Gbajabiamila against Adeyemi over alleged bribery.
The police investigation was reportedly triggered by a petition from the Office of the Chief of Staff concerning alleged attempts to forge official appointment letters.
Adeyemi has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all eight counts.
The court will hear his bail application and continue the substantive trial on October 12, 2026.
