• GbajaGate too serious to be swept under the carpet, Atiku warns
•Says Tinubu can’t be persecuting opposition in the guise of fighting corruption and covering own officials
Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah and Linus Aleke in Abuja
The police, yesterday, arrested the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi after Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered his arrest.
Justice Umar made the order following the failure of Adeyemi to appear before his court for arraignment on an eight-count criminal charge of alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The federal government is seeking the trial of the defendant accused of running a non-existing agency, PFIPC.
Although the court had fixed July 14 for his arraignment, however when the matter was called, the defendant was not in court for his arraignment, prompting the prosecution counsel, Wisdom Madaki, to make an oral application for his arrest.
But Adeyemi’s lawyer countered the request, explaining that his client feared for his life and had written a letter to President Bola Tinubu in respect of the matter.
Reacting, Justice Umar, who granted the request for the arrest of Adeyemi, assured that the court would help the defendant be alive for his trial.
He subsequently adjourned the case until September 30, for Adeyemi’s arraignment.
By the order, the police and other security agencies swung into action and arrested Adeyemi, who would be brought to court for arraignment on the next adjourned date.
Confirming the arrest to THISDAY yesterday in Abuja, a highly placed source at Louis Edet House said, “We have just confirmed the arrest of Mr. Adeniyi Adeyemi by a team of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State.”
The arrest was further corroborated by a trending video that surfaced hours after the Federal High Court in Abuja issued the bench warrant.
According to the police in their earlier submission, Adeyemi had operated the fictitious agency from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, before his arrest.
In the eight-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, filed on November 27, 2025, Adeyemi and two others said to be at large, were alleged to have conspired and forged several official documents, including a purported presidential appointment letter, State House letterheads, a conveyance approval for the take-off of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), requests for approval of staff accounts, requests for office space and letters seeking collaboration with a federal ministry.
In count five, the prosecution alleged that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the DG of the PFIPC, an offence punishable under Section 179 of the Penal Code.
Atiku: #GbajaGate Too Serious to Be Swept Under the Carpet
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said silence, indifference and passage of time could not kill the unfolding corruption allegations against President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Reacting to the latest report by the Gazette newspaper, accusing the Chief of Staff of “illegally cornering tens of billions of naira in oil and gas royalties from petroleum regulatory commission, citing a fake law for presidential approval,” Atiku said he was baffled by such level of large-scale corruption and the impunity that legitimises it.
According to a statement from his Media office, the ADC Presidential candidate stated, “This issue goes beyond partisan politics; it’s about the impunity of corruption that undermines the welfare and future of ordinary Nigerians.”
The former vice-president explained that, “This level of corruption is unprecedented and the government can’t pretend to be prosecuting opposition figures for corruption, while corruption is growing like weed under its own nose.”
Atiku reminded the Tinubu administration that, “You can’t preach the rule of law when your own officials are awarded with the trophy of untouchability.
“Gbajabiamila must be held accountable like every other public official and independently investigated to give him full opportunity to defend himself against the brazen act of corruption as detailed in the Gazette report.
“Former President Buhari suspended his SGF Babachir Lawal from office in order to allow for unfettered investigation against him and Gbajabiamila shouldn’t be treated differently.”
He said the Chief of Staff has been mentioned in multiple allegations of bribery and corruption that has tainted the office of the President’s key aide: Stealing of $25,000 from a client in Georgia, USA leading to his debarment; Multiple allegations of bribe-for-appointments; Bribery allegation of N400m in the PFIPC and now this illegal cornering of N52 billion from an oil and gas regulatory age
He added that, “Given the apathetic and lackadaisical attitude of the Tinubu administration to the gales of corruption scandals against the Chief of Staff, it’s apparent that the government is just going through the motions to fool Nigerians.
“Democracy is public service and when political office holders prioritise the amassing of personal wealth while the ordinary people are dying of hunger and preventable diseases, the Tinubu administration cannot pretend to be serving the people.”
