Adeniyi Adeyemi failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday for his scheduled arraignment over allegations linked to the operations of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the Federal Government has repeatedly described as non-existent.
When court proceedings commenced before Justice Mohammed Umar on Tuesday morning, Adeyemi was not present in the courtroom. As of mid-day, the defendant had yet to arrive, despite his case being listed for hearing.
Although criminal defendants are expected to be present in court when proceedings begin, Adeyemi’s legal representatives were in attendance. Two members of his defence team announced their appearance and indicated they were ready to represent him before the court.
The matter is one of several cases slated for hearing by the court. However, judges are not required to follow the order of cases on the cause list, making the presence of parties important throughout the day’s proceedings.
Adeyemi is facing an eight-count charge filed by the Nigerian Police. The charges border on alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
According to the prosecution, Adeyemi and two other individuals said to be at large allegedly forged several government documents connected to the purported PFIPC. The documents reportedly include a presidential appointment letter, official State House letterheads, requests relating to office allocation, staff account approvals and correspondence seeking collaboration with government institutions.
Prosecutors also accused Adeyemi of presenting himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC despite claims by the Presidency that no such agency exists under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The Federal Government has maintained that Adeyemi was never appointed to any position connected to the agency and that the PFIPC has no legal recognition within the federal structure.
The case attracted national attention after the Presidency publicly distanced itself from both Adeyemi and the organisation. This was followed by petitions to security agencies, leading to an investigation and his eventual arrest in Abuja in October 2025.
Investigators allegedly recovered documents from locations linked to the defendant and traced several bank accounts said to be connected to the activities under investigation.
Despite the allegations, Adeyemi has consistently denied wrongdoing. He has repeatedly maintained that he is innocent and has challenged claims linking him to the creation of the disputed agency.
Court records show that the case has suffered multiple delays since it was first scheduled for arraignment earlier this year. Previous adjournments were granted following applications by the defence, including requests linked to health concerns and preparation for trial.
Tuesday’s proceedings marked another setback in efforts to formally commence the criminal trial, with uncertainty remaining over when the arraignment will eventually take place.
Recall that the Presidency had earlier disowned the PFIPC and denied appointing Adeyemi as the head of any government agency, while security agencies subsequently launched investigations into allegations of forgery and impersonation surrounding the organisation.
More details to follow…
