A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out all eight criminal charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of heading the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The ruling, delivered on Monday, October 12, followed a request by the prosecution to drop the case, according to Daily Trust.
Court Terminates Eight-Count Case
Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the charges after the prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), informed the court that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed Adeyemi's case file. The review identified weaknesses in the charges originally filed by the Inspector General of Police.
Oyedepo told the court that the documents Adeyemi allegedly forged to establish and run the PFIPC fall under the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court, not the Federal High Court. This prompted the decision to move the case to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for fresh arraignment.
Details of the Allegations
According to court documents, Adeyemi and two others are accused of using forged official papers to create and operate the PFIPC. The allegations include opening several bank accounts in the agency's name and seeking formal government recognition for the body.
The case first gained national attention in July 2026, when President Bola Tinubu ordered a corruption investigation into the PFIPC after an official-looking letter purporting to establish the council was exposed as a forgery. Police subsequently launched a manhunt for Adeyemi.
Forensic analysis by the police confirmed that the signature of the President's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on a disputed appointment letter had been forged, according to the Presidency.
PFIPC's Irregular Operations
Despite having no legitimate standing, the PFIPC had secured office space inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, a government complex housing dozens of ministries. The agency also appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budget allocation of 1.3 billion naira (roughly $950,000). Legit.ng found that it had made moves to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Accountant-General's Office later clarified that the PFIPC had never operated a CBN account, received public funds, or paid any salaries. Adeyemi had claimed the council was set up in 2024 to attract foreign investment into Nigeria, though no record of any concluded deals exists.
The scandal drew calls for an independent inquiry from civil society groups, opposition politicians, and senior lawyers. Adeyemi, who has spoken to local media, maintained his innocence and said he would appear in court to clear his name. "My life is in danger," he said in one of those interviews, though he pledged to cooperate with the judicial process.
Political Reactions
Earlier, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar rejected the interim report by the ICPC on the alleged fake PFIPC, saying it does not amount to a clean bill of health for the presidency. The opposition leader's senior special assistant on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, issued the statement on Atiku's behalf.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, argued that the report itself recorded evidence of negligence and connivance within government circles, which he said made it impossible to conclude that only one person was responsible for the alleged operation. Adeyemi now faces fresh arraignment at the High Court of the FCT over the same allegations.
