The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Nigeria Police Force to grant Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), unrestricted access to lawyers of his choice.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the order on Thursday while ruling on a fundamental rights application filed ex parte by Adeyemi through his counsel, M.B. Abdulazeez.
The court directed the respondents to ensure that Adeyemi has “unimpeded access to lawyers of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.”
The development comes amid an ongoing criminal case against Adeyemi and fresh allegations by the House of Representatives concerning the purported PFIPC, whose legal status and links to government have come under scrutiny.
In a separate criminal proceeding instituted by the police, Justice Umar Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja had reportedly issued an arrest warrant against Adeyemi in July after he failed to appear for scheduled proceedings.
The court subsequently fixed September 30 for his arraignment.
The latest order also came a day after the House of Representatives released a preliminary report by its ad hoc committee investigating the controversial council.
Politics Nigeria reports that the committee, chaired by Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, alleged that 12 agencies and entities and about 58 bank accounts were linked to Adeyemi, who had been presented as the Director-General of the PFIPC.
The House launched the investigation following controversy over the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, despite questions over whether the council was legally established.
According to the preliminary report, the committee relied on oral testimonies, documentary evidence, financial records and submissions from government institutions in reaching its initial findings.
The lawmakers said they found no valid Act of the National Assembly or presidential directive establishing the PFIPC.
They further said evidence obtained from the State House showed that Adeyemi was not appointed Director-General of the purported council by the Presidency.
The committee also found no evidence that President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, signed Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter.
It consequently described the document as fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.
“The Committee therefore preliminarily finds that the purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency,” the report stated.
The lawmakers said the alleged fabrication, if established through the appropriate criminal process, could constitute a serious attack on the integrity of the Office of the President and the identity of the Federal Government.
Among the entities listed by the committee as allegedly linked to Adeyemi are the Confederation of United Nations Youths, FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership, FCT Investment Promotion Council and Public-Private Partnership, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and United Nations Youth Global Agency.
Others include the United Nations Youth Global Foundation, World United Nations Youth Global Foundation, World Entrepreneurship University Limited, World Enterprise University Limited, FCT Investment Promotion Act, FCT Promotion Agency and Olubadan of Ibadan Foundation.
The committee said its preliminary findings indicated that approximately 58 bank accounts were associated with the identified entities.
It also disclosed that investigators uncovered a letter dated November 7, 2024, purportedly issued by the State House and addressed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), seeking the creation or issuance of an administrative code for the PFIPC.
The letter was allegedly signed by an individual identified as Akambi Adewale, whom the committee said could not be traced to State House records
Politics Nigeria reports that the lawmakers also raised concerns over how the purported correspondence was handled by the OAGF and the Budget Office of the Federation, describing the circumstances as possible institutional lapses.
The OAGF reportedly acknowledged that any response to the letter should have been transmitted through an authenticated official channel rather than directly to Adeyemi.
The committee said it was examining whether the incident resulted from negligence, failure to follow verification procedures, breach of official correspondence protocols, deliberate disregard for due process or intentional facilitation.
It nevertheless stressed that affected government officials would be given an opportunity to respond before any conclusions were reached.
“No officer will be condemned without fair hearing. Equally, no proven breach of public duty will be overlooked,” the report stated.
On the Budget Office, the committee said the agency had submitted extensive information regarding its dealings with the purported organisation.
The lawmakers said preliminary evidence showed that the Budget Office had received documents presented as evidence of the PFIPC’s existence as a federal institution.
However, the committee maintained that the legal existence of any institution must first be established before it can be recognised within the Federal Budget Framework.