The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.
Justice Mohammed Umar issued the warrant on Tuesday after Adeyemi failed to appear for his arraignment on an eight-count charge in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.
The warrant followed an oral application by the prosecution counsel, Wisdom Madaki, who told the court that the defendant had repeatedly failed to honour court invitations despite several adjournments granted at his request.
“My Lord, this is the fifth time this case is coming up, and all the adjournments have been at the instance of the defendant,” Madaki told the court.
Relying on Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, the prosecution argued that Adeyemi’s persistent absence justified the issuance of a bench warrant.
Although Adeyemi was absent when the matter was called, his lawyer, Genesis Francis, announced his appearance on behalf of the defendant.
Justice Umar subsequently granted the prosecution’s application, ordered Adeyemi’s arrest and adjourned the matter to July 27, 2027, for further proceedings.
Hours after the ruling, the Nigeria Police confirmed Adeyemi’s arrest in Osun State.
The charges against Adeyemi stem from allegations that he falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC between 2024 and 2025 and used forged government documents to legitimise the activities of the purported agency.
According to the charge sheet, Adeyemi and two others allegedly conspired to forge presidential letterheaded papers, appointment letters purportedly signed on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and other official documents to create legitimacy for the council.
The case is the latest development in the controversy surrounding the PFIPC, whose existence has been publicly denied by the Presidency despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The Presidency had on July 1 described Adeyemi as an impostor, alleging that he deceived public institutions, foreign missions and members of the public by operating a fictitious government agency with forged State House documents.
However, the controversy deepened after records in the 2026 Appropriation Act showed that the PFIPC was listed under the Presidency with a budgetary allocation of ₦1.302 billion, comprising ₦802.9 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overheads and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.
Adeyemi has consistently denied the Presidency’s claims, insisting that the council is legitimate.
He had maintained that the PFIPC operated from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, maintained accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and obtained approval for more than 300 personnel through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Before the controversy erupted, the council had publicly engaged with several government agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), as well as Chinese investment officials.
Adeyemi is expected to be produced before the Federal High Court to answer the charges against him.