By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday arraigned the self-styled Director-General (DG) of the alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, on a 22-count charge relating to forgery and impersonation.
Adeyemi, who has been in detention since July 14, was docked before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama.
The ICPC alleged that the defendant, while passing himself off as a public servant, obtained over N27 billion to start the fake agency.
He was also alleged to have dubiously obtained another N3.8 billion for personnel costs.
The prosecution told the court that Adeyemi also obtained funds through a forged document addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
It alleged that the defendant forged documents purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, which he claimed appointed him Director-General of PFIPC, and used them to occupy government office facilities at the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase III, Abuja.
Besides, Adeyemi was accused of forging a document addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation, captioned “RE: REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF SELF-ACCOUNTING STATUS”, for the non-existent agency to operate within the government financial reporting structure.
He was said to have forwarded forged documents to the DG of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to get a domain name for the agency.
The defendant was also accused of gifting N210,000, without official authorisation, to one Aminu Abdullahi, an Assistant Chief Technical Officer in the Office of the Secretary General of the Federation (OSGF), “to facilitate the allocation of office space.”
He allegedly gifted another N300,000 to Ogaba Harry, an officer in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, to facilitate the release and handover of two official vehicles, a Prado SUV and a Land Cruiser SUV, to him.
Other counts in the charge included an allegation that on July 29, 2025, the defendant collected N20 million from one Oyekunle Gbenga, the Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, under the false pretence of a “project facilitation loan” for a purported N2.8 billion contract allegedly awarded by the fictitious agency for the procurement of furniture and renovation of the official residence of the DG of the said non-existent PFIPC.
The ICPC insisted that he committed the offences between 2024 and 2026.
He was said to have contravened Sections 364, 366 and 132 of the Penal Code Cap. 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990; Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, punishable under Section 1(3); and Section 9(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, punishable under Section 9(b).
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge read to him in open court.
Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Fatima Bardi, applied for a trial date.
For his part, Adeyemi’s lawyer, Mr Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, made an oral application for his client to be released on bail pending the determination of the case. Angulu drew the court’s attention to the fact that his client had spent over 155 days in detention, adding that his health had deteriorated badly.
Justice Yusuf, who declined to entertain the oral application, directed the lawyer to file a written application.
The case was adjourned until November 9 for the commencement of trial and possible hearing of the bail application.
It will be recalled that the Federal High Court in Abuja had, on October 12, struck out an initial eight-count charge that the Nigeria Police Force had filed against the defendant.
The matter was terminated after it was withdrawn by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice.
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