Adeyemi Arrested, Flown To Abuja Over PFIPC Scandal

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled director-general of the allegedly fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over allegations of forgery, fraud and impersonation.

Adeyemi was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State, police sources have confirmed. He was later moved to Abuja, where he will be held until his arraignment before the Federal High Court on September 30.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, confirmed the development, saying Adeyemi was arrested in compliance with the court’s directive.

A video of the arrest which circulated shortly after the operation showed Adeyemi dressed in a light blue traditional outfit and surrounded by armed security operatives.

He refused to give a straight answer when asked to identify himself. I have said it, sir,” he told the officers. The operatives kept asking him his name. “Your name?” “Say it for us, will you?” one officer demanded. “I have said it many times,” Adeyemi said.

Adeyemi was ordered arrested by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja for failing to appear for his scheduled arraignment on an eight-count charge of forgery, fraud and impersonation, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.

According to the prosecution counsel, Mr Wisdom Madaki, the arrest warrant was granted following an oral application that the defendant had repeatedly frustrated the commencement of his trial by continuously absconding from court.

“This is the fifth time this case is coming up, and all the adjournments have been at the instance of the defendant,” Madaki told the court.

The prosecution urged the court to issue a warrant of arrest to compel the attendance of Adeyemi pursuant to Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

The defendant did not appear but his lawyer Mr Genesis Francis announced appearance on the defendant’s behalf and opposed the application.

Francis said Adeyemi’s absence was because of security concerns and not a desire to escape justice.

He said his client had appeared in court on 16 May before the matter was adjourned. However, he said subsequent developments had exposed him to serious threats.

‘Since then, this case has become a matter of public importance, and there have been many threats to his life,’ the defence counsel said.

The defendant is afraid for his life. He must be alive to be tried. “They have been looking for him without even a court order,” argued the lawyer.

Justice Umar, however, said the court record indicated that the defendant was always absent.

The judge noted that Adeyemi had appeared before the court only once despite the charge being filed on 27 November 2025 and the proceedings starting on 4 December 2025.

He has since not appeared in this court on four consecutive dates,” the judge held before issuing a warrant for his arrest and production in court by security agencies on 30 September for arraignment.

Adeyemi was transferred to Abuja following his arrest in Osun State and is expected to remain in police custody until his court appearance on 30 September.

The prosecution has also got a number of high profile witnesses who are likely to be called to testify during the trial.

They include the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede, Ituah Sylvester, officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police involved in the investigation.

Adeyemi hatched an elaborate scheme involving forged appointment letters and official government documents to make it look like the PFIPC was a legitimate federal agency, police investigations said.

The investigation, the investigators said, began following a petition by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President to the Inspector-General of Police on 17 October 2025, on the alleged forged appointment letters purportedly issued by the office.

The petition alleged that the forged documents bore false signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and that the documents were used to appoint persons to the purported Council.

The investigators also alleged that Adeyemi impersonated as the director general of the PFIPC and operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

Adeyemi, in an interview before his arrest, denied evading security agencies, insisting that he only went into hiding over alleged threats to his life.

“I am ready to show my face,” he said in an interview with Channels TV. I’m not in hiding. I am only afraid of my life because I have good evidence that my life is endangered.” “There have been several attempts on my life.

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Adeyemi also mentioned the death of one of his associates, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who allegedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja as his reason to stay away from the limelight.

He said Tanimola was an important go-between in the PFIPC controversy and the circumstances surrounding his death had raised even more concerns for his own safety.

He also reiterated his controversial claim that he paid N400 million through a proxy to Gbajabiamila to get him appointed director-general of the PFIPC.

He said those who financed the alleged payment have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover their money.

Adeyemi has consistently denied that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation.

In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, he called for the establishment of an independent multi-stakeholder investigation panel into the issues surrounding the council and the alleged plan to allocate N1.3 billion to it in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

He promised to provide documentary evidence and cooperate with investigators if such a panel was fully constituted.

“The panel should also include representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights organisations, diplomatic missions, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),” Adeyemi said.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed ICPC to investigate all allegations and counter-allegations over the alleged fake agency.