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By Victor Osula, Abuja
Following a court order to arrest him after he failed to appear in his defense on Tuesday, the Nigeria Police Force arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director General of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Foreign Intervention, PFIPC.
Adeyemi was reportedly arrested from his hideout in Osun State shortly after Justice Mohammed Umar ordered security agencies to arrest him for failing to appear in court for his scheduled arraignment.
He is expected to be transferred to the force headquarters in Abuja for further investigation and criminal proceedings.
The arrest followed proceedings on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, where Adeyemi was due to present his defense alongside two co-accused in an eight-count indictment marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.
However, although his lawyer, Genesis Francis, announced his appearance, Adeyemi failed to appear in court.
In an oral submission, Police Prosecutor Wisdom Madaki urged the court to issue an arrest warrant for the arrest of the accused, arguing that the matter had already been postponed several times at the instance of Adeyemi without him submitting a plea.
Madaki relied on Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in asking the court to compel the defendant’s appearance.
Responding, Francis told the court that he was unable to persuade his client to attend the proceedings because Adeyemi feared for his safety.
According to the lawyer, Adeyemi had written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, expressing fear that his life was in danger due to the widespread public attention generated by the criminal case.
Justice Umar, however, noted that the court would “help him stay alive” before granting the prosecution’s plea.
In a short ruling, the judge noted that the charges against Adeyemi were filed on November 27, 2025, while the proceedings began on December 4, 2025.
It also noted that the defendant had appeared in court only once and had failed to appear at the four subsequent hearings, resulting in repeated adjournments.
Accordingly, Justice Umar directed all security agencies to arrest Adeyemi wherever he was found and bring him before the court.
The federal government, through the Nigeria Police Force, has charged Adeyemi and two others with multiple crimes, including forgery, fraud and identity theft.
The indictment lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant, while Adeniyi Adeyemi, Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown) are named as the first, second and third defendants.
Investigators allege that Adeyemi forged a Presidential Appointment Letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appointing him as Director General of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Foreign Intervention.
He is also accused of forging presidential letterhead dated March 8, 2024, falsely representing himself as head of the non-existent agency and fabricating requests for office accommodations purportedly coming from State House.
According to investigators, Adeyemi allegedly ran the fictitious Presidential Council for Promotion of Foreign Intervention from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, in Abuja, despite the agency having no legal existence within the federal government.
Court documents show that the prosecution has gathered a long list of witnesses, including the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, whose petition dated 17 October 2025 forms part of the evidence.
Other witnesses include Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede and Ituah Sylvester; officials from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), including Akimbo Shola; and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Adamu Balongu.
Ojo Victor, Omeh Amarachukwu and Wakili Saidu, who were allegedly assigned to work under Adeyemi at the alleged agency, are also expected to testify, as well as Mrs Joy Ngwoke, owner of Kachi Hotel in Abuja, and Ven. Okoriko, parish priest of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama.
The prosecution intends to hand over the police investigation report, Gbajabiamila’s application, the alleged forged letter of appointment, correspondence with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting a memo, documents relating to approvals allegedly obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), self-accounting applications submitted to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and other official documents, witness statements and photographs.
The criminal charge is part of a broader federal government investigation into the activities of the alleged fake presidential agency.
On July 7, President Bola Tinubu ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the operations of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Foreign Intervention after its activities came to light.
The President also ordered the anti-corruption agency to conclude investigations within 30 days as authorities seek to uncover the full extent of the alleged fraud and identify all those linked to the scheme
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