The police are set to arraign the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, before the Federal High Court on Tuesday.
In a fresh charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, the police charged Adeyemi and two others with eight counts bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
The charge was filed on November 27, 2025, by police prosecutor Wisdom Madaki.
Adeyemi was alleged to have operated the fictitious agency from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, before his arrest.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into the activities of the fictitious agency within 30 days.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports on Sunday that when the case came up on June 16 for the defendants to take their plea, Adeyemi was said to be indisposed, prompting Justice Mohammed Umar to adjourn the matter.
According to the court documents, witnesses listed in the case include the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede, and Ituah Sylvester.
Others are civil servants in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Also listed as witnesses are Ojo Victor, Omeh Amarachukwu and Wakili Saidu, all of whom were allegedly posted to work with Adeyemi at the non-existent agency.
Also listed are Joy Ngwoke, the owner of Kachi Hotel in Abuja, and Ven Okoriko, the pastor of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama.
The documentary evidence expected to be tendered by the police includes the police investigation report, Gbajabiamila’s petition dated October 17, 2025, and Adeyemi’s alleged fake presidential appointment letter dated March 8, 2024.
Other documents include Adeyemi’s request for a note verbale sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the approvals he allegedly obtained to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, his request for approval for self-accounting sent to the OAGF, and the approval for the take-off of the PFIPC.
The prosecution also listed a letter requesting collaboration with the ministry on land acquisition and office spaces across the 36 states of the federation, statements made by the witnesses and defendants, as well as photographs.
The police stated in the court documents that “the prosecution shall at the trial call any other related witness or witnesses to prove its case.”
Opposition figures and several political parties have faulted the Senate’s decision to shelve an independent investigation into the controversial N1.3bn budgetary allocation to the purported PFIPC, insisting the Red Chamber has a constitutional responsibility to account for how the agency found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act.
They registered their grievances in a separate interview with The NGBREAKINGNEWS.
The parties argued that allowing the ICPC to handle the matter alone was insufficient, maintaining that the National Assembly must also investigate its own appropriation process to restore public confidence in the integrity of the budget.
Their reactions followed Wednesday’s decision by the Senate to decline a fresh probe into the controversial allocation and instead await the outcome of the ICPC investigation ordered by the President.
While some opposition figures also renewed calls for Gbajabiamila to temporarily step aside pending the conclusion of investigations, others insisted that any determination of culpability should await the outcome of an independent inquiry.
Speaking exclusively with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Osa Director, described the controversy as a major institutional scandal that required immediate legislative scrutiny.
He said, “Sincerely speaking, if the Senate wants to live up to its responsibility, it doesn’t need to be prodded to probe its mess because that’s a scandal that could result in the resignation of even the principal officers of the Senate, especially those who were involved in budgeting.
“If you say that it is a fake agency, how come it survives your vetting process? So, I am ashamed and disappointed that even the Senate had to be prodded to investigate. Ideally, they should investigate it. That is not a contestation at all.
“However, I am supportive of dissenting lawmakers who want the matter properly investigated by the Senate to see how a so-called illegal body or organisation find itself on the budget line. It’s quite disappointing. It needs to be probed. Public office holders must be held accountable,” he said.
Reacting to Tinubu’s directive for an investigation while simultaneously expressing confidence in Gbajabiamila, Director described the development as contradictory.
“That is the contradiction we are talking about. The truth is that Nigerians are no fools. We all know what is going on. Some people are being shielded, and they are trying to cover it.
“In a responsible clime, should we still be talking about Gbajabiamila remaining in his position while these investigations are ongoing?
“The Nigeria Democratic Congress had earlier released a statement calling for him to step aside. That remains our position,” he added.
A former National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Ralph Nwosu, also criticised the Senate’s stance, accusing public institutions of failing to discharge their constitutional responsibilities.
He said, “It is unfortunate how such elected public office holders have been abrogating their jobs, failing to do what they are elected to do. That is the biggest failure of the total system capture that has taken place under Tinubu.
“Obviously, nobody can act without Tinubu giving the directive. Even the ICPC and EFCC can’t do anything on their own.
