Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out an eight-count criminal charge filed by the Federal Government against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is accused of posing as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The judge struck out the charge following an application by the Federal Government, which said Adeyemi would be transferred to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for fresh arraignment.
At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), moved the application seeking the termination of the charges.
Oyedepo told the court that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed the case file and the charge initially filed by the Inspector-General of Police, identifying legal issues that required the case to be handled by a different court.
He explained that the documents Adeyemi allegedly forged while operating the purported agency fell within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF) further informed the court that a fresh charge had been filed before the FCT High Court, where Adeyemi would be arraigned without delay.
He consequently urged Justice Umar to strike out the existing charge.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, did not oppose the application.
The judge subsequently granted the prosecution’s request and struck out the eight-count charge.
Adeyemi had been standing trial alongside two other defendants, whose whereabouts were unknown, over allegations bordering on conspiracy and forgery.
