By Anthony Otaru, Abuja
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has struck out the eight-count charge against Adeniyi Adeyemi, alleged mastermind of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The court terminated the case following an application by the Federal Government, which informed the judge that Adeyemi would be transferred to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for fresh arraignment.
At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to discontinue the charges against the defendant.
Oyedepo told the court that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed the case file and identified legal shortcomings in the charge initially filed by the Inspector General of Police.
According to him, the review established that some of the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi in connection with the purported agency fell within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation said the government had consequently filed a fresh charge before the FCT High Court, where Adeyemi would be arraigned without delay.
He therefore asked Justice Umar to strike out the existing charge to pave the way for the new proceedings.
Adeyemi’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ibrahim Angulu, did not object to the prosecution’s application.
Justice Umar consequently struck out the eight-count charge.
Adeyemi had been prosecuted alongside two other suspects whose whereabouts remained unknown. The charges included alleged conspiracy and forgery.
Police arrested Adeyemi in Osun State on July 14, following an earlier order by the Federal High Court directing his arrest after he failed to respond to the court’s summons.
He was accused of establishing and operating PFIPC as a government institution without lawful authority. The purported agency allegedly maintained an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and recruited personnel despite lacking legal recognition.
The case attracted wider attention after Adeyemi alleged that Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, received N400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment as head of the purported agency.
Gbajabiamila denied the allegation.
Following the controversy, President Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged fake agency.
Presenting an interim report to the President, ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, said preliminary findings showed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government.
Aliyu further disclosed that the purported appointment letter, gazette and other documents relied upon to establish the agency were forged.
The ICPC chairman recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution, alongside administrative sanctions against public officials whose alleged negligence or omissions facilitated the operation of the purported agency.
“We recommend that Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi should be prosecuted. Administrative sanctions should also be imposed on public officers whose acts of omission and negligence facilitated the illegal operation of PFIPC/PEAC,” Aliyu said.
He also called for institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across government ministries, departments and agencies and prevent similar incidents.
The House of Representatives subsequently investigated the activities of the purported agency and how it gained access to government institutions.
Its ad hoc committee also found the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi to be fraudulent.
A former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who appeared before the committee, acknowledged that adequate due diligence was not conducted before the purported council received recognition.
Walson-Jack accepted responsibility for the lapse, explaining that her office relied on documents that appeared genuine without subjecting them to adequate verification.
With the Federal High Court case now struck out, the prosecution is expected to proceed with the fresh charge against Adeyemi before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
