By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday arrested Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), in Osun State.
The came barely hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over allegations of forgery, fraud and impersonation.
Justice Muhammed Umar ordered security agencies to apprehend and produce Adeyemi before the court following his failure to appear for arraignment on an eight-count charge filed against him by the police.
Although security agencies were yet to disclose the exact town in Osun State where the suspect was apprehended or when he would be transferred to Abuja, the arrest marks a dramatic turn in a case that has raised serious questions about the alleged use of forged presidential documents and the activities of an organisation the Federal Government insists does not exist.
At the heart of the controversy is the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body Adeyemi allegedly presented as a federal agency operating under the Presidency.
However, government officials have repeatedly maintained that no such agency exists within the Federal Government.
*Alleged fake State House documents at centre of case
The prosecution alleges that the defendant used forged appointment letters, State House correspondence, and presidential letter-headed papers to lend legitimacy to the organisation and facilitate its operations.
Among the allegations before the court is that Adeyemi forged an appointment letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and allegedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He is also accused of forging presidential letterheads and official correspondence purportedly emanating from the State House, including requests for office accommodation, land allocations and collaboration with government ministries and agencies across the country.
The Federal Government further alleges that he falsely represented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and used the title in official engagements and communications.
Adeyemi was scheduled to take his plea before the Federal High Court on Tuesday but failed to appear, despite his counsel, Genesis Francis, announcing an appearance on his behalf.
The prosecution, led by police counsel Wisdom Madaki, argued that the defendant’s absence was part of a pattern that had repeatedly stalled proceedings.
“My lord, this is the fifth time this case is coming up, and all the adjournments have been at the instance of the defendant.”
Relying on Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, the prosecution urged the court to issue a warrant compelling his appearance.
The application was opposed by the defence, which argued that Adeyemi stayed away from court because of alleged threats to his life and maintained that he had no intention of evading trial.
Justice Umar was unconvinced.
The judge observed that although the charge was filed on November 27, 2025, the defendant had appeared before the court only once since proceedings commenced in December of that year.
“Since then, he has failed to appear before this court on four consecutive dates.”
The court subsequently issued a bench warrant directing security agencies to arrest and produce him before September 30 for arraignment.
His arrest in Osun State hours later effectively shifted the focus of the case from questions surrounding his whereabouts to the more substantive allegations before the court.
With Adeyemi now in custody, attention is expected to turn to the authenticity of the documents at the centre of the case and whether the prosecution can establish that an elaborate scheme existed to project the PFIPC as a recognised arm of government when, according to federal authorities, no such institution exists.
