Inside The PFIPC Scandal: The Real Reason Adeyemi’s Arraignment Stalled

The arraignment of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of operating the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has remained stalled for several months following repeated adjournments arising from defence applications, court scheduling conflicts and health-related claims.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Court documents and entries from the police case diary reviewed by Premium Times reveal that Adeyemi was arrested by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit on October 27, 2025. He spent 23 days in police custody before securing administrative bail on medical grounds.

Records further show that the police filed criminal charges against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, but the case has yet to reach the arraignment stage.

The latest development comes as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the PFIPC controversy and submit its findings within 30 days. The presidential directive, however, is not expected to interfere with the criminal proceedings already pending before the Federal High Court.

Police records indicate that Adeyemi was released on administrative bail on November 19, 2025, after submitting a medical report to support his request for release. A police source disclosed that the suspect developed health complications while in detention, reportedly involving an enlarged liver.

Defence Applications Delay Proceedings

The case first came before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on February 3, 2026, for arraignment.

Although the prosecution informed the court it was ready to proceed, the defence requested additional time, arguing that the charge had only recently been served on the defendant.

The prosecution opposed the request, maintaining that the charge had been served approximately two weeks earlier. Despite the objection, the court granted the application and adjourned the matter until February 11.

When the case resumed, proceedings could not continue because the trial judge was attending a judicial workshop, resulting in another adjournment. Following consultations with the court registrar, both parties secured April 14 as the next hearing date.

The proceedings suffered another setback on April 14 after Adeyemi failed to appear in court. His lawyer informed the court that he was ill and presented a letter explaining his absence. Despite opposition from the prosecution, the court adjourned the matter to June 16.

On June 16, Adeyemi appeared before the court with his counsel, and the prosecution again expressed readiness to proceed with the arraignment. However, the defence sought another postponement, explaining that counsel was unwell and unable to continue with the proceedings.

The court granted the application and fixed July 14 for the defendant’s arraignment.

Investigation Trail

Police investigation records show that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the State Security Service on October 17, 2025.

In the petition, Gbajabiamila accused Adeyemi of forgery and impersonation and called for a full investigation into the activities of the alleged council.

Following the complaint, the Inspector-General directed the IGP Monitoring Unit to conduct a discreet investigation, which led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at an office he allegedly operated from within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

Investigators later executed search warrants at both the office and his residence in Suleja, Niger State.

According to the investigation report, security operatives recovered several documents and correspondence allegedly exchanged between Adeyemi and various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The investigation also uncovered 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to the defendant. Police records show that nine of the accounts were opened in the names of entities presented as government agencies, including the “FCT Investment Promotion Agency,” “Public Private Partnership FIPA-APP,” and “FCT Investment Promotion Act.”

The matter is scheduled to return before the Federal High Court on July 14, when Adeyemi is expected to be formally arraigned.