Operatives of the Federal Investigation Department/Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Force Headquarters have arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi , Director-General of the allegedly non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), in a village in Ijesaland, Osun State.
His arrest came hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, issued a bench warrant for his arrest following his repeated failure to appear for arraignment.
Security sources said a team led by Moses Lohor tracked Adeyemi down in Osun after the Department of State Services (DSS) had trailed him for five days before handing the matter over to the police’s special unit.
Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the arrest, adding that Adeyemi was already being moved to Abuja.
Adeyemi is facing an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, fraud, and impersonation, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025. He failed to appear in court for the fifth consecutive time on the case, prompting prosecuting counsel, Wisdom Madaki, to ask the court to issue a warrant, citing Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Defence lawyer Genesis Francis opposed the application, telling the court his client’s absence was due to threats to his life rather than an attempt to evade trial.
Justice Umar, however, ruled that Adeyemi had appeared before the court only once since the charge was filed in November 2025, and had since skipped four consecutive hearings. He ordered security agencies to produce the defendant in court on September 30 for arraignment.
Adeyemi had earlier told Channels Television that he went underground over fears for his life, insisting he was not evading investigators. He maintained his claim that he paid N400 million to secure his appointment as PFIPC DG, alleging that those he borrowed the money from later petitioned the EFCC against him.
Police investigations reportedly showed that Adeyemi forged appointment letters bearing the Presidential seal and the Nigerian Coat of Arms to create the impression that PFIPC was a legitimate federal agency. The probe was triggered by a petition from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President to the Inspector-General of Police in October 2025.
Adeyemi allegedly operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja. One of his associates in the alleged scheme, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, reportedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja.
The suspect has since called for an independent panel — including representatives of civil society, the NBA, the EFCC, ICPC, and international bodies — to investigate an alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, saying he is ready to cooperate once such a panel is set up.
Atiku demands Gbajabiamila’s suspension
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Meanwhile, ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to allow for an unhindered probe into corruption allegations linked to the PFIPC scandal.
In a statement by his aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku referenced how former President Muhammadu Buhari suspended ex-SGF Babachir Lawal under similar circumstances, insisting Gbajabiamila should not be spared the same treatment.
He accused the Tinubu government of double standards, saying it cannot prosecute opposition figures for corruption while shielding its own officials from scrutiny.
Gbajabiamila has faced mounting pressure following Adeyemi’s allegation that he collected a N400 million bribe in exchange for a PFIPC appointment letter — a claim he has not publicly addressed.
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