… police may apply for a bench warrant

The scheduled arraignment of the self-styled Director-General (DG) of an alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, may not proceed owing to his failure to appear in court.

Adeyemi is billed to take his plea before Justice Mohammed Umar on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, which relates to forgery, fraud and impersonation.

However, although the matter is listed as No. 12 on the court’s cause list, the defendant is nowhere to be seen.

There are indications that the inspector general of police, who is prosecuting the case, may apply for a bench warrant for his arrest wherever he may be found.

The charge against Adeyemi and two other defendants was filed on November 27, 2025, by a police prosecutor, Wisdom Madaki.

Among those billed to testify in the matter are the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr 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 (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a deputy superintendent of police.

Adeyemi, whose whereabouts remained unknown, said in an interview he granted to Channels Television on Monday that his withdrawal from public view was due to alleged threats to his life.

He waved aside the insinuation that he was hiding from law enforcement agencies in a bid to evade investigations into his involvement in the alleged PFIPC fraud.

“I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger.

“There have been several attempts on my life,” Adeyemi added.

He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as DG of the disputed council.

According to Adeyemi, those from whom he borrowed the N400 million he used to secure the appointment had since dragged him before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

An interim police investigation report had exposed how the defendant allegedly forged appointment letters and official documents that he used to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency.

Police disclosed that the investigation was initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the IGP on October 17, 2025, over the activities of individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.

It added that preliminary findings showed that the forged documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent PFIPC.

Adeyemi, who was identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who had since denied that the PFIPC was non-existent, demanded an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the Council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.

He recommended the inclusion of representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, and diplomatic missions, as well as the ICPC and the EFCC, on the independent investigative panel.

Adeyemi said his decision to stay off the radar was further reinforced by the controversial circumstances that led to the death of Tanimola, whom he described as a key intermediary in the matter. (Vanguard)

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