The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), after he failed to appear for his arraignment on alleged forgery, conspiracy and impersonation charges.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar issued the order on Tuesday after Adeyemi was absent in court to take his plea on an eight-count charge filed against him by the Nigeria Police Force.
The prosecution, led by Wisdom Madaki, urged the court to issue a bench warrant following the defendant’s absence. Defence counsel, Genesis Francis, opposed the application, arguing that his client feared for his safety and had written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu requesting the establishment of an independent panel of inquiry.
Francis told the court that Adeyemi stayed away because he feared for his life and wanted to remain alive to defend himself during trial.
Justice Umar, however, rejected the explanation, noting that the matter had been pending since late 2025 and that the defendant had repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
The judge observed that Adeyemi had missed four consecutive court sittings since December 2025 and ruled that his continued absence could no longer be excused.
He subsequently ordered security agencies to arrest Adeyemi wherever he is found in Nigeria and produce him before the court on September 30, 2026, for arraignment.
According to the charges, Adeyemi is accused of presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an agency the Federal Government has maintained does not exist.
Police alleged that he forged a letter of appointment purportedly issued by the Presidency, including the alleged forged signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The prosecution further accused him of forging official State House documents, including presidential letterheads and approval letters, to seek office accommodation and transact official business under the name of the purported agency.
Investigators also alleged that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including several opened in the names of fictitious government agencies, and attempted to facilitate the opening of a Central Bank account through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He is also accused of using the alleged agency to request a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support visa applications for individuals presented as staff members of the council.
The case has drawn significant public attention since the Presidency distanced itself from the PFIPC in 2025 after the Chief of Staff formally denied the existence of the agency and requested a police investigation.
Despite that denial, documents that later surfaced indicated that correspondence from the purported agency was acknowledged and processed by some government offices, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), raising questions about administrative verification procedures within the public service.
The police maintain that Adeyemi will answer charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and related offences once he is arrested and produced before the court.
The case has been adjourned until September 30, 2026, for arraignment.
