The Federal Government has arraigned Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, conspiracy and impersonation in connection with the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), which federal authorities maintain was never lawfully established.
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Adeyemi, 38, pleaded not guilty to all the counts when he was arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Mohammed Umar, who subsequently ordered that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the commencement of trial and consideration of his bail application on October 12, 2026.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was initially filed by the Nigeria Police Force on November 27, 2025, against Adeyemi and two other suspects identified in the charge as Femi and Anu, who are said to be at large. The prosecution alleges that the defendants forged presidential appointment documents, State House correspondence and other official records between 2024 and 2025 in an effort to present the PFIPC as a legitimate federal institution.
Among the allegations is that Adeyemi and the other defendants forged an appointment letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and bearing the signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. They are also accused of forging presidential letter-headed papers and correspondence requesting collaboration with government authorities on land requisition and office accommodation across the 36 states of the federation.
One of the counts alleges that Adeyemi, alongside the two defendants at large, on or about March 8, 2024, forged presidential letter-headed papers, an offence the prosecution said is punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Another alleges that they forged a request purportedly emanating from the State House seeking collaboration with a ministry for land requisition and office accommodation across the country. Adeyemi is further accused of falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the purported PFIPC.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has now taken over the prosecution from the police, with the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, leading the Federal Government’s team. The prosecution asked the court for an accelerated hearing following Adeyemi’s plea.
Adeyemi’s counsel, Genesis Francis, urged the court to immediately hear his client’s bail application, telling the court that Adeyemi had a medical appointment scheduled for Friday and was suffering from an ailment he described as contagious.
Oyedepo opposed the request for immediate release, arguing that adequate medical personnel and facilities were available to attend to the defendant while in custody. Justice Umar declined to take the bail application immediately and fixed October 12 for both the hearing of the application and commencement of the substantive trial.
The prosecution has listed several witnesses, including Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; Ituah Sylvester; officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation; and a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Other listed witnesses include persons said to have been posted to work with Adeyemi at the purported organisation.
Documents expected to be tendered include the police investigation report, Gbajabiamila’s October 17, 2025 petition, the alleged March 8, 2024 presidential appointment letter, requests for diplomatic support, documents relating to proposed Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, and correspondence concerning office accommodation, land acquisition and the purported take-off of the PFIPC.
The case grew out of a wider controversy over Adeyemi’s claim that he was appointed to head the PFIPC, despite the Presidency and investigative bodies maintaining that no such agency had been lawfully created.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi maintained that the council was genuine and rejected claims that he had gone into hiding to evade investigators. He said his withdrawal from public view was prompted by threats to his life and called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disputed agency.
Adeyemi also alleged that he borrowed ₦400 million and paid the money through an intermediary in connection with what he described as his appointment. He alleged that the payment was connected to Gbajabiamila. The Chief of Staff has consistently denied the allegation and subsequently instituted a defamation action against Adeyemi.
The allegation against Gbajabiamila has also been examined by investigative and legislative bodies. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said in August that it found no evidence linking Gbajabiamila, his office or the State House to Adeyemi’s purported appointment or the PFIPC. The commission said its investigation concluded that Adeyemi was not appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC was not established by any law, executive order or other valid government instrument.
The ICPC further said its examination of official correspondence and specimen signatures showed that the purported appointment letter did not originate from the State House and that the signature attributed to Gbajabiamila differed from his specimen signature. It recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution for alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
Similarly, a House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the controversy said in September that it found no evidence that Gbajabiamila established, approved or participated in the activities of the purported organisation. The committee said the material before it instead showed that the Chief of Staff contacted security and investigative agencies after concerns about the body were brought to his attention.
The controversy nevertheless raised wider questions about how the disputed body was able to interact with government institutions.
The Budget Office confirmed that the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 budget framework but said financial clearance was withheld after the organisation failed to satisfy the necessary requirements. According to the office, no lawful recruitment, payroll enrolment or salary payment followed, and the overhead and capital provisions did not mature into cash releases or procurement.
Adeyemi had earlier demanded the constitution of an independent multi-stakeholder panel to investigate what he described as the inclusion of about ₦1.3 billion for the council in the 2026 Appropriation framework. He said he was willing to submit documents and cooperate with such an inquiry, proposing participation by civil society groups, the Nigerian Bar Association, independent media, international financial institutions, human rights bodies, diplomatic missions, the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He also linked his concerns for his safety to the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as an intermediary in the controversy and who was reported to have died in a fire at an Abuja hotel.
Adeyemi had failed to appear for an earlier arraignment, resulting in an arrest order by the Federal High Court. He was subsequently arrested and has remained in custody ahead of Wednesday’s arraignment.
With his plea of not guilty, the allegations will now proceed to trial, where the prosecution will be required to prove the eight counts against him beyond reasonable doubt. Adeyemi remains presumed innocent unless and until convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction.
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