A Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi on Tuesday after he failed to appear for his arraignment on forgery and impersonation charges.
Justice Mohammed Umar granted the prosecution’s oral application and ordered Adeyemi’s arrest. The judge adjourned the case to September 30, 2026.
Adeniyi Adeyemi, 38, presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also known as the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council. Authorities declared the agency fictitious.
Police charged Adeyemi and two others, identified as Femi and Anu, with eight counts. The charges include conspiracy, forgery of presidential appointment letters, and impersonation. The case is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.
Prosecutors alleged that Adeyemi operated the fake agency from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja. They said he forged documents bearing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name and signatures of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.
When the matter came up on Tuesday, prosecution counsel Wisdom Madaki applied for the bench warrant. Defence lawyer Genesis Francis told the court that his client feared for his life and had written to President Tinubu.
Justice Umar responded, “The court will help him be alive,” before issuing the warrant. Adeyemi previously claimed in a television interview that he borrowed N400 million for the appointment. He alleged threats to his life and insisted the agency existed.
The police began their probe after the Chief of Staff’s office reported forged letters in October 2025. Officers arrested Adeyemi in late October 2025 at the secretariat office. They recovered documents during searches.
The Presidency confirmed the council does not exist. If convicted, Adeyemi faces up to 21 years in prison on forgery counts without an option of fine.
