The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Adeniyi Adeyemi at the Kuje Correctional Centre after he pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, impersonation, and conspiracy.
Adeyemi was arraigned before Justice Mohammed Umar on Wednesday following several failed attempts to bring him before the court since the case was instituted.
He was brought into the courtroom at about 2:33pm by a female police officer attached to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre.
The defendant, dressed in a white flowing outfit and a white baseball cap, kept his head lowered as he waited for the case to be called.
The Federal Government, through the prosecution led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, accused Adeyemi of presenting himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the prosecution described as a fictitious government agency.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was initially filed by the police on November 27, 2025, against Adeyemi and two other suspects, identified as Femi and Anu, who are still at large.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired between 2024 and 2025 to forge presidential appointment letters, State House letterheads, and other official correspondence in a bid to operate the purported agency.
One of the allegations centres on an appointment letter allegedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and purportedly signed by his then Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Adeyemi was also accused of forging documents relating to requests for government collaboration, land acquisition, office accommodation, staff accounts, and the purported commencement of operations of the PFIPC.
Another count alleged that he falsely represented himself as the Director-General of the purported council, an offence the prosecution said is punishable under Section 179 of the Penal Code.
After the eight charges were read to him, Adeyemi pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Oyedepo told the court that the plea had joined issues between the defendant and the prosecution, thereby setting the stage for trial. He subsequently urged the court to remand Adeyemi in custody, citing the circumstances surrounding his conduct before his arrest.
Defence counsel, Genesis Francis, informed the court that his client had filed a bail application, which had been served on the prosecution and was ready for hearing.
Justice Umar, however, ordered Adeyemi’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until October 12, 2026, for trial and hearing of the bail application.
How Adeyemi was arrested
Adeyemi’s arraignment followed several delays in the case, including his failure to appear before the court on an earlier date.
The judge subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest following an oral application by the prosecution.
Adeyemi was later arrested in Osun State, reportedly less than 12 hours after the warrant was issued. He was said to have been traced to a hideout by the Intelligence Response Team from Abuja.
His arrest followed a petition reportedly submitted by Gbajabiamila over the activities of the purported agency.
At an earlier proceeding, Adeyemi’s lawyer had told the court that his client stayed away because he feared for his life. Francis said Adeyemi had also written an open letter to President Tinubu over his concerns.
The Federal Government had subsequently directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the activities of the purported agency.
Police trace 34 bank accounts
During the investigation, police investigators reportedly uncovered correspondence between the purported agency and several government institutions.
The investigators also traced 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to Adeyemi, with nine of the accounts reportedly opened in the names of purported government agencies.
According to the prosecution, Adeyemi allegedly operated the purported agency from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, before his arrest.
The prosecution has listed several witnesses it intends to call during the trial, including Gbajabiamila, Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede, Ituah Sylvester, and officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Other listed witnesses include Deputy Superintendent of Police Adamu Balongu, Ojo Victor, Omeh Amarachukwu, and Wakili Saidu, who were allegedly posted to work with Adeyemi at the purported agency.
Joy Ngwoke, owner of Kachi Hotel in Abuja, and Ven Okoriko, pastor of St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama, are also among the witnesses.
The prosecution said it would tender several documents, including the police investigation report, a petition allegedly written by Gbajabiamila on October 17, 2025, and an alleged presidential appointment letter dated March 8, 2024.
Other documents listed include correspondence concerning a request for a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alleged approvals for opening accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, a request for approval for self-accounting to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and an alleged approval for the commencement of the purported council.
The prosecution also listed correspondence seeking collaboration with relevant authorities on land acquisition and office accommodation across the 36 states, statements obtained from witnesses and defendants, as well as photographs.
The alleged offences were said to have been committed in Abuja and are punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Penal Code.
Adeyemi has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations and is expected back in court on October 12 for the hearing of his bail application and further proceeding.
