FG files fresh charges as Abuja court strikes out case against Adeyemi

Adeniyi Adeyemi

THE Federal Government on Monday filed fresh charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General (DG) of ‘phantom’ Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Rotimi Oyedepo, a senior advocate, told Mohammed Umar, the judge of the Federal High Court handling the case in Abuja, that the development followed a new case which had been filed at the FCT High Court.

Oyedepo, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, therefore, applied that the instant charge be struck out.

After the defence lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, a senior advocate, did not oppose the request, Umar struck out the case.

Earlier when the case was called, Oyedepo, moved the application for the discontinuation of the case.

He told the judge that the AGF carried out a review of Adeyemi’s case file and the charge filed by the Inspector-General of Police and found some loopholes.

The lawyer submitted that the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi during his operations of the agency, allegedly said to be fake, were those that could be prosecuted by the High Court of the FCT and not the Federal High Court.

He said that a new charge had been filed at the High Court of the FCT and that Adeyemi would be expeditiously arraigned afresh.

He urged the judge to strike out the charge as required by law.

Following no objections from Angulu, Umar terminated the charge accordingly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adeyemi and his co-defendants, whose whereabouts are presently unknown, are being prosecuted on an eight-count charge preferred against them by the police.

The police, in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, accused the defendants of allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, among others.

While the Federal Republic of Nigeria is listed as the complainant, Adeyemi, 38; “Femi surname unknown” and “Anu surname unknown” were named as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

The charge was filed on Nov. 27, 2025, by Wisdom Madaki, a police prosecutor.

The AGF had, on September 30, took over the case from the police.

And after the defendant was arraigned, the judge ordered Adeyemi’s remand at Kuje Correctional Centre.

According to the court documents, witnesses listed in the case are the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede and Ituah Sylvester.

Other witnesses are civil servants working in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGoF), Akimbo Shola, Adamu Balongu, a deputy superintendent of police, Ojo Victor, Omeh Amarachukwu, and Wakili Saidu, all of whom were allegedly posted to work with Adeyemi at the non-existent agency.

Others are Joy Ngwoke, the owner of Kachi Hotel in Abuja, and Ven Okoriko, the pastor of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama.

The documentary evidence expected to be tendered by the police include the police investigation report, Gbajabiamila’s petition dated October 17, 2025; and Adeyemi’s fake presidential appointment letter dated March 8, 2024.

These also include the request for a note verbally by Adeyemi sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the approvals he got to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), request for approval of self accounting Adeyemi sent to the AGoF and the conveyance of approval for take-off of the PFIPC.

Other documents listed by the prosecution are a letter of request for collaboration with the ministry in the area of land acquisition and offices across the 36 states of the federation; statements of all the witnesses and that of the defendants, and pictures.

The police, in the court document, said “the prosecution shall during the trial call any other related witness or witnesses to prove its case.”

Adeyemi was alleged to have operated the allegedly fictitious agency from the 2nd Floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, Phase III, before his arrest.

President Bola Tinubu had, on July 7, directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to also conduct a thorough investigation into the activities of the agency.

The ICPC, which was given 30 days to complete its probe. 

 

(NAN)