The defendant in a high-profile fake agency scam, Adeniyi Adeyemi, was absent from the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday for his scheduled arraignment. Mr Adeyemi faces eight counts of conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation for allegedly operating a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Defendant Fails to Show Up
By midday on Tuesday, Mr Adeyemi had not appeared in the courtroom where Justice Mohammed Umar began proceedings shortly after 10 a.m. His case was listed as number 12 on the day's cause list, but the judge does not follow the order of cases, and defendants in criminal trials are expected to be in court by 9 a.m. As of 12:50 p.m., Justice Umar had heard three cases, yet Mr Adeyemi remained absent. It was unclear whether he would appear when his case was called.
However, his legal team was present. Lawyers Genevieve Oke and P. Usman entered their names in the defence column on the cause list for Tuesday's session. This marks the fourth adjournment of the arraignment since the case was first scheduled in February.
Charges and Potential Penalties
The Nigerian government, through the police, filed the charges on November 27, 2025. Prosecution lawyer Wisdom Madaki alleged that Mr Adeyemi, along with two accomplices identified as Femi and Anu (who remain at large), committed conspiracy and forgery involving official documents. These documents include a purported presidential appointment letter, State House letterheads, a conveyance approval for the PFIPC, requests for staff accounts, office space, and letters seeking collaboration with a federal ministry.
In count five, the prosecution accused Mr Adeyemi of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, an offence under Section 179 of the Penal Code. If convicted, he faces up to 21 years in prison on forgery-related counts without the option of a fine. The impersonation charge carries a maximum of three years' imprisonment or a fine.
Background of the Scam
PREMIUM TIMES has extensively reported on the fake agency. The federal government accused Mr Adeyemi of operating the PFIPC, which it said does not exist. The controversy became public after the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disowned Mr Adeyemi and the PFIPC. The Presidency maintained that no such agency exists under President Bola Tinubu's administration and that Mr Adeyemi was never appointed to head it.
Police investigations began after Mr Gbajabiamila petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the State Security Service on October 17, 2025, alleging forgery and impersonation. Investigators arrested Mr Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at an office he allegedly operated within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. They searched his office and residence in Suleja, Niger State, recovered official correspondence with several ministries, and traced 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to him, including nine opened in the names of purported government agencies.
Defendant Maintains Innocence
Mr Adeyemi has maintained his innocence in press statements and media interviews. In a recent conversation with social media influencer Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, he denied preparing the fake agency's budget that was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act. He said he was in police detention during the period the budget was being processed. He also softened his earlier position on the alleged involvement of Mr Gbajabiamila, stating he could not say for certain whether the Chief of Staff was involved in issuing the appointment letter.
Mr Gbajabiamila has since issued a pre-action notice demanding Mr Adeyemi withdraw his claims accusing him of corruption, abuse of office, fraud, and murder, or face a N10 billion defamation suit and criminal proceedings.
Previous Court Proceedings
Court records show that Mr Adeyemi remained in police custody for 23 days before being granted administrative bail on November 19, 2025, after submitting a medical report. The case first came up for arraignment on February 3, but the defence sought more time, claiming they had only recently been served with the charges. Despite the prosecution's objection, the judge granted the adjournment.
The matter did not proceed on February 11 because the judge attended a judicial workshop. It was rescheduled to April 14, but Mr Adeyemi was absent, with his lawyer presenting a medical letter. The judge deferred the case to June 16. On that date, Mr Adeyemi appeared, but his lawyer again sought an adjournment due to illness, leading to the July 14 date.
