The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled director-general of the allegedly fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over allegations of forgery, fraud and impersonation.
Police sources confirmed that Adeyemi was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State, before he was moved to Abuja where he is expected to remain in custody pending his arraignment before the Federal High Court on 30 September.
The Force’s public relations officer, CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, confirmed the development, saying Adeyemi was arrested in compliance with the court’s directive.
A video that circulated shortly after the operation showed Adeyemi dressed in a light blue traditional outfit and surrounded by armed security operatives.
When asked to identify himself, he refused to give a straight answer at first. I have said, sir,” he said to the officers. The operatives kept asking him what his name was. “What’s your name? “Say it for us, will you?” demanded one officer. “I have said it many times,” Adeyemi said.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the arrest of Adeyemi after he failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on an eight-count charge of forgery, fraud and impersonation, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025,
The arrest warrant was granted after an oral application by the prosecution counsel, Mr Wisdom Madaki, who argued that the defendant had repeatedly frustrated the commencement of his trial by continuously absenting himself from court.
“This is the fifth time this case is coming up and all the adjournments have been at the instance of the defendant,” Madaki told the court.
The prosecution urged the court to issue a warrant of arrest to compel Adeyemi’s attendance pursuant to Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The defendant did not appear but his lawyer Mr Genesis Francis announced appearance on his behalf and opposed the application.
Francis said Adeyemi was not in hiding, but had security concerns.
His client had appeared in court on May 16, but the matter was adjourned, he said. However, subsequent developments had put him at risk of serious threats, he said.
Since then this case has become of public importance and there have been many threats to his life,” the defence counsel said.
“The defendant is afraid for his life. He has to be alive to stand trial. “They have been looking for him even without an order of court,” the lawyer argued.
But justice Umar held that the court record showed consistent non-appearance of the defendant.
The judge noted that although the charge was filed on 27 November 2025 and the proceedings started on 4 December 2025, Adeyemi had appeared before the court only once.
He has since failed to show up in this court on four consecutive dates,” the judge ruled before issuing the warrant ordering security agencies to arrest and produce him in court on 30 September for arraignment.
Adeyemi was taken to Abuja after his arrest in Osun State, and is expected to remain in police custody ahead of his court date on 30 September.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has lined up several prominent witnesses expected to testify during the trial.
They include the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; Ituah Sylvester; officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu; and a Deputy Superintendent of Police involved in the investigation.
Police investigations said Adeyemi cooked up an elaborate scheme involving forged appointment letters and official government documents to make it look like the PFIPC was a legitimate federal agency.
According to investigators, the investigation started after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police on 17 October 2025, over alleged forged appointment letters purportedly issued by the office.
The petition claimed that the forged documents contained false signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and that the documents were used to appoint persons to the purported Council.
The investigators further alleged that Adeyemi posed as the director-general of the PFIPC and operated from an office in the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
Adeyemi had granted an interview before his arrest where he denied evading security agencies, insisting that he had only gone into hiding over alleged threats to his life.
“I am ready to show my face, he said in an interview on Channels TV. I’m not hiding. I fear my life only because I have good evidence that my life is in danger.” “There have been multiple attempts on my life.
Adeyemi also attributed his decision to stay out of the public eye to the death of one of his associates, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who reportedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja.
Tanimola, he said, was a key intermediary in the PFIPC controversy and the circumstances surrounding his death had further heightened concerns for his own safety.
He also stuck to his controversial allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to Gbajabiamila to secure his appointment as director-general of the PFIPC.
He said those who financed the alleged payment have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to get their money back.
Adeyemi has consistently denied that the PFIPC is a fictional organisation.
In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, he called for the establishment of an independent multi-stakeholder investigation panel into the issue surrounding the council and the alleged plan to allocate N1.3 billion to it in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He said he would produce documentary evidence and co-operate with investigators if such a panel was fully constituted.
Adeyemi suggested that the panel should comprise representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights organisations, diplomatic missions, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
ICPC, meanwhile, was ordered by President Bola Tinubu to probe all claims and counterclaims about the alleged fake agency.
