The Nigeria Police Force is set to arraign Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday over allegations of forgery, impersonation and related offences. The prosecution has lined up Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside several senior government officials, as witnesses in the high-profile case.
Nigeria’s widening fake government agency scandal is expected to enter a crucial phase on Tuesday as police move to prosecute the man accused of operating a non-existent federal agency from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
The case has attracted national attention after investigators alleged that the accused operated under forged government documents while presenting himself as the head of a presidential council that the Presidency says never existed.
According to court documents, Adeniyi Adeyemi and two other defendants will face an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences before the Federal High Court.
The prosecution intends to call multiple witnesses, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, police investigators and individuals allegedly assigned to work with the purported agency.
Investigators are also expected to tender documentary evidence, including the police investigation report, an alleged fake presidential appointment letter, correspondence with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, banking documents and petitions linked to the case.
The PFIPC scandal erupted after authorities declared the organisation a fictitious government agency despite claims that it operated from office space within the Federal Secretariat and allegedly secured a budget allocation.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the agency’s activities.
Tuesday’s arraignment is expected to mark the formal commencement of criminal proceedings after an earlier hearing was adjourned when Adeyemi was reportedly unable to take his plea.
Legal observers say the trial could shed more light on how the alleged fake agency operated and whether additional public officials may become connected to the investigation.
With senior government officials listed among prosecution witnesses, the proceedings are expected to become one of Nigeria’s most closely watched corruption-related cases in recent months. The outcome could influence ongoing investigations into the wider PFIPC controversy and alleged institutional lapses.