Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged “fake Director-General” of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Umar issued the order after Adeyemi pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy and forgery.
The charges were filed against Adeyemi and two other suspects, who are said to be at large.
Following his plea, the prosecution, led by counsel from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing of the case to facilitate its speedy determination. The prosecution also asked the court to remand Adeyemi in custody pending the determination of the charges.
However, Adeyemi’s counsel, Genesis Francis, asked the court to hear his client’s bail application on Wednesday.
Francis told the court that Adeyemi had a medical appointment scheduled for Friday for treatment of an unspecified ailment which, according to counsel, is contagious.
In response, lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the police had qualified medical personnel capable of attending to Adeyemi and that medical facilities were also available at the correctional centre.
The judge, however, declined to hear the bail application on Wednesday, citing the volume of matters before the court.
Justice Umar subsequently ordered that Adeyemi remain in custody and adjourned the case until October 12 for hearing of the bail application and the substantive suit.
Adeyemi is at the centre of a controversy surrounding the PFIPC, which authorities have alleged was not a legally established government agency.
The controversy began after Adeyemi claimed to have served as the council’s Director-General.
Following scrutiny of the council, Adeyemi allegedly claimed that his appointment was “purchased”, saying he paid ₦400 million through a middleman as part of a ₦600 million arrangement to secure the position.
The allegations also resulted in a ₦15 billion lawsuit filed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, against Adeyemi over alleged bribery.
During a legislative probe, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation admitted that government documents had not been properly verified. The House of Representatives also uncovered what it described as a wider network involving 12 additional alleged fake government agencies, 58 bank accounts and 39 government insiders.
Following a directive issued by President Bola Tinubu on July 7, 2026, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was given 30 days to investigate the PFIPC.
On Thursday, August 6, 2026, ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu submitted the commission’s report on the PFIPC investigation to President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
The ICPC subsequently said Adeyemi’s appointment letter was fraudulent and did not originate from the Presidency.
Adeyemi was later arrested by the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State.
The ICPC submitted its interim report in August 2026 and recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution.
I’ve kept allegations attributed rather than presenting them as established facts, and tightened some of the repetitive passages.
