PFIPC Scandal: Adeyemi Arrested In Osun, Taken To Abuja

|  Arrest follows bench warrant issued against him by Abuja court   |  He’s to be arraigned Sept 30

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.

Police sources confirmed that Adeyemi was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State before he was moved to Abuja where he is expected to remain in custody pending his arraignment before the Federal High Court on 30 September.

Confirming the development, the Force’s public relations officer, CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, said Adeyemi was apprehended 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.

When asked to identify himself, he initially declined to give a direct response. “I have mentioned it, sir,” he told the officers. The operatives repeatedly asked him to state his name. “What is your name? Mention it for us, please,” one officer insisted. Adeyemi responded: “I have said it several times.”

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ordered Adeyemi’s arrest after he failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, fraud and impersonation, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025,

The arrest warrant was granted following an oral application by the prosecution counsel, Mr Wisdom Madaki, who argued that the defendant had repeatedly frustrated the commencement of his trial by continuously absenting himself from court.

“My lord, 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.

Pursuant to Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, the prosecution urged the court to compel Adeyemi’s attendance by issuing a warrant of arrest.

Although the defendant was absent, his lawyer, Mr Genesis Francis, announced appearance on his behalf and opposed the application.

Francis argued that Adeyemi’s absence was informed by security concerns rather than an attempt to evade justice.

According to him, his client had appeared in court on 16 May before the matter was adjourned, but 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 has to be alive to face trial. They have been looking for him even without an order of court,” the lawyer argued.

However, Justice Umar held that the record before the court showed a consistent pattern of the defendant’s non-appearance.

The judge observed that although the charge was filed on 27 November 2025, and proceedings commenced on 4 December 2025, Adeyemi had appeared before the court only once.

“Since then, he has failed to appear before this court on four consecutive dates,” the judge ruled before issuing the warrant directing security agencies to arrest and produce him in court on 30 September for arraignment.

Following his arrest in Osun State, Adeyemi was transported to Abuja, where he is expected to remain in police custody ahead of the 30 September court date.

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP can confirm that the prosecution has lined up several prominent witnesses expected to testify during the trial.

Among them are the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; Ituah Sylvester; officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu; as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police involved in the investigation.

Police investigations alleged that Adeyemi orchestrated an elaborate scheme involving forged appointment letters and official government documents to portray the PFIPC as a legitimate federal agency.

According to investigators, the probe commenced after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police on 17 October 2025, regarding alleged forged appointment letters purportedly issued by the office.

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

Investigators further alleged that Adeyemi presented himself as director-general of the PFIPC and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

Before his arrest, Adeyemi had granted an interview in which he denied evading security agencies, insisting that he had merely gone into hiding because of alleged threats to his life.

In an interview on Channels TV, he said, “I am ready to show my face. I am not hiding. I am only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life.”

Adeyemi also linked his decision to remain out of public view to the death of one of his associates, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who reportedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja.

He described Tanimola as a key intermediary in the PFIPC controversy and suggested that the circumstances surrounding his death further heightened concerns for his own safety.

He also maintained his controversial allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to  Gbajabiamila to secure his appointment as director-general of the PFIPC.

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

Adeyemi has consistently rejected claims that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation.

In an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, he demanded the constitution of an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to examine the controversy surrounding the council and allegations of a proposed N1.3 billion budget allocation for it in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

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

Adeyemi proposed that the panel 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).

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu had ordered the ICPC to investigate all claims and counterclaims concerning the alleged fake agency.