The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of creating and operating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi, but the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, appeared for the prosecution when the case was called on Wednesday.
Oyedepo told the court that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had asked him to take over the prosecution of the case. He then told the court that the matter was slated for arraignment.
Adeyemi’s lawyer, Genesis Francis, also told the court that the defence was ready when the judge asked.
The charges were subsequently read to Adeyemi, who said he understood all the counts but pleaded not guilty to each of the eight counts.
“In view of the not guilty plea by the defendant, he is due to have put himself for trial,” Oyedepo said after the plea.
The prosecution prayed the court for an accelerated trial, as the case had attracted public attention.
The DPPF also asked the court to remand Adeyemi to the Correctional Centre pending the determination of the charge and in view of the production of the defendant before the court. He also prayed the court to fix a date for trial.
However, Adeyemi’s lawyer informed the court of his intention to move his motion dated and filed on 12 January 2026. He said it was an application for bail which “had been served on the prosecution and had responded with a counter-affidavit”.
When the judge told him that the application would be heard on the next adjourned date, Francis also told the court that the defendant was under medical care and had an “appointment on Friday”.
But Oyedepo immediately interjected and assured the defence that it would have access to Adeyemi in custody, adding that “he will be well taken care of”.
Although Francis maintained that the sickness “was communicable”, he did not disclose the nature of the illness.
After listening to both lawyers, the judge ordered that Adeyemi be “remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending” the court’s decision on the bail application and then adjourned the case until 12 October 2026 for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial.
Adeyemi was arrested in Osun State in July after the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over his repeated failure to appear for arraignment.
He is facing an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation over his claim to be the Director-General of the PFIPC, an organisation the Presidency has disowned as “fake”.