ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday struck out the eight-count criminal charge filed by the Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian Government against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged Director-General of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Justice Mohammed Umar terminated the proceedings following a formal application by the prosecution to withdraw the matter due to fundamental jurisdictional defects in the original filings.
Adeyemi, 38, was previously remanded in Kuje Prison after being arraigned alongside two accomplices—identified as Femi and Anu—over alleged conspiracy and document forgery.
During Monday’s proceedings, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Rotimi Oyedepo, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), informed the court that a review of the case file by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) uncovered legal flaws.
Oyedepo explained that the alleged document forgeries and unauthorized operations fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) rather than the Federal High Court.
He further disclosed that the government had already filed a fresh charge against Adeyemi at the FCT High Court to ensure his speedy re-arraignment without trial delays.
With no objections raised by defense counsel Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), Justice Umar officially struck out charge FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025 to enable the prosecution to proceed before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The PFIPC scandal erupted after the body was uncovered operating openly with offices within the Federal Secretariat complex in Abuja, despite lacking any legal enabling Act or presidential approval.
The entity remarkably secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 federal budget, sparking widespread public outrage and questions regarding official oversight and corruption within the administration.
An investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concluded that Adeyemi’s appointment letter was fraudulent and did not originate from the Presidency.
The striking out of the case does not amount to an acquittal, as the defendant remains in legal custody pending his formal re-arraignment before the FCT High Court.
