PFIPC Scandal: Why Adeyemi’s Arraignment Suffered Delay

The arraignment of Adeniyi Adeyemi, linked to an alleged non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has been stalled for several months following repeated adjournments occasioned by defence requests, court scheduling challenges and claims of ill health.

Findings by Premium Times from court documents and a police case diary showed that Adeyemi, who was arrested by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit on October 27, 2025, spent 23 days in detention before he was granted administrative bail on health grounds.

The documents indicated that the police filed charges against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, but the matter has yet to proceed to arraignment.

Naija News reports that the latest development comes as President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the PFIPC scandal and submit its report within 30 days.

However, the presidential directive is not expected to affect the ongoing criminal proceedings before the Federal High Court.

According to police records reviewed by Premium Times, Adeyemi was released from custody on November 19, 2025, after presenting a medical report in support of his administrative bail application.

A police source disclosed that the suspect developed health complications while in detention.

“He got ill in police custody and was having an enlarged liver,” the source said.

Defence Requests Stall Arraignment

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

At the proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that it was ready to arraign the defendant.

However, Adeyemi’s lawyer requested more time, arguing that the defence had only recently been served with the charge.

The prosecution opposed the application, insisting that the charges had been served about two weeks earlier.

Despite the objection, Justice Umar granted the request and adjourned the matter until February 11.

When the matter came up on the new date, proceedings could not be held because the trial judge was away attending a judicial workshop, forcing another postponement.

Both parties subsequently obtained a fresh hearing date from the court registrar, and the case was fixed for April 14.

The trial suffered another setback on April 14 after Adeyemi failed to appear in court. His lawyer informed the court that the defendant was ill and tendered a letter explaining his absence.

Although the prosecution opposed another adjournment, the court postponed the matter until June 16. When the case resumed on June 16, Adeyemi appeared in court alongside his counsel.

The prosecution again announced its readiness to proceed with the arraignment.

However, the defence sought yet another adjournment, this time informing the court that counsel was ill and unable to continue with the proceedings.

The court granted the application and adjourned the case until July 14.

How Investigation Began

Police investigation records revealed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, formally 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 urged security agencies to investigate the activities surrounding the alleged council.

Following the petition, the Inspector-General of Police directed the IGP Monitoring Unit to carry out a discreet investigation.

Investigators arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the office from which he allegedly operated within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

The police subsequently executed search warrants at both the office and his residence in Suleja, Niger State.

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

The investigators also traced 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to the defendant.

Police records indicated that nine of the accounts were opened in the names of entities described as purported government agencies, including the “FCT Investment Promotion Agency,” “Public Private Partnership FIPA-APP,” and “FCT Investment Promotion Act.”

The criminal case is expected to come up again before the Federal High Court on July 14 for Adeyemi’s arraignment.