ABUJA – The Federal Government is set to apply for a bench warrant against self-acclaimed Director-General of the alleged non-existent Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, after he failed to appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja for his arraignment.
Adeyemi was expected to take his plea before Justice Mohammed Umar on Tuesday over an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.
However, when the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, came up, the defendant was absent, raising the possibility that the prosecution, led by the Inspector-General of Police, would seek a court order for his arrest.
The charges, filed on November 27, 2025, by police prosecutor Wisdom Madaki, also involve two other defendants.
Among the prosecution witnesses are the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede, Ituah Sylvester, officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Adeyemi, whose whereabouts remain unknown, had claimed in a television interview that he went into hiding because of alleged threats to his life.
He denied evading law enforcement agencies and insisted that he was not running away from investigations into the alleged PFIPC fraud.
The self-styled DG also repeated his claim that he paid N400 million through a proxy to the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as Director-General of the controversial council.
According to him, those who lent him the money have since reported him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
An interim police investigation alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and official government documents to create the impression that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was a legitimate Federal Government agency.
Police said the investigation began after the Office of the Chief of Staff petitioned the Inspector-General of Police on October 17, 2025, over alleged forged appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.
Investigators claimed the documents contained fake signatures, forged reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent agency.
Police further alleged that Adeyemi operated as the council’s Director-General from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
The investigation also linked the alleged fraud to the late Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who reportedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja.
Despite the allegations, Adeyemi has continued to insist that the PFIPC exists and has called on President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent panel to investigate the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
In an open letter to the President, he said he was ready to submit documentary evidence and cooperate fully with any credible investigation.
He proposed that the panel should include representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations, the media, international financial institutions, diplomatic missions, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the EFCC.
Adeyemi also said his decision to remain out of public view was influenced by what he described as the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Tanimola, whom he identified as a key intermediary in the matter.
