RismadarVoice Reporters
September 3, 2026
The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to grant Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the detained self-styled Director-General of the alleged non-existent Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, access to his lawyers.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the directive on Thursday while ruling on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Adeyemi, who has been in police custody since July.
However, the judge declined to order Adeyemi’s release on bail pending the completion of investigations into the allegations against him.
Instead, the court directed Adeyemi to serve the suit on the police and the Attorney-General of the Federation to allow them to respond to his claims.
Justice Egwuatu ordered the Inspector-General of Police, the police and the AGF to explain within 72 hours why the reliefs sought by Adeyemi should not be granted.
Adeyemi is seeking six reliefs, including an order for his release on bail pending the conclusion of the case against him.
He also asked the court to allow him access to medical practitioners of his choice and to restrain the police from questioning him or obtaining further statements without his lawyers present.
Specifically, he asked the court to ensure that he has unrestricted access to legal practitioners of his choice at reasonable hours for as long as he remains in custody.
While the court granted the request concerning access to legal representation, it deferred a decision on his other applications until the respondents have been heard.
The matter was adjourned until September 9 for the respondents to show cause.
Adeyemi was arrested after the Federal High Court issued a bench warrant on July 14. Police subsequently apprehended him at a hideout in Osun State.
Although the Federal Government has not charged him in connection with the PFIPC allegations, he is facing a separate eight-count criminal charge filed by the police on November 27, 2025.
Justice Mohammed Umar had fixed September 30 for the defendant to take his plea on the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.
The charges relate to allegations of forgery, fraud and impersonation. Among the witnesses expected to testify are the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.
Other proposed witnesses include officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi spoke to Channels Television from his hideout, claiming that he had gone into hiding because of threats to his life.
He denied deliberately evading law enforcement and maintained that he was being investigated in connection with the alleged PFIPC fraud.
Adeyemi also repeated his claim that he paid N400 million through a proxy to Gbajabiamila to facilitate his appointment as Director-General of the disputed council.
He said individuals from whom he allegedly borrowed the money had subsequently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the matter.
An interim police investigation report, however, alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and other official documents in an attempt to portray the PFIPC as a legitimate Federal Government institution.
According to the police, the investigation followed a petition submitted by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President to the Inspector-General of Police on October 17, 2025.
The petition alleged that some individuals were producing fake appointment letters purportedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff.
Police said preliminary findings indicated that the documents contained forged signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the purported council.
Adeyemi was identified as the principal suspect and was accused of presenting himself as the council’s Director-General while operating from an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
Another person allegedly connected to the case, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, reportedly died in a hotel fire in Abuja.
Adeyemi has consistently rejected the claim that the PFIPC does not exist. He has also called for an independent, multi-stakeholder panel to investigate the controversy surrounding an alleged N1.3 billion allocation for the council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was willing to provide documentary evidence and cooperate fully with investigators if an independent panel was established.
He proposed that the panel include representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, diplomatic missions, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the EFCC.
Adeyemi also said the circumstances surrounding Tanimola’s death contributed to his decision to remain out of public view, describing the deceased as an important intermediary in the matter.
The criminal charge against Adeyemi includes allegations that he forged presidential letter-headed documents in March 2024.
Another count alleges that he forged a request purportedly issued by the State House seeking collaboration with the Ministry over land requisition and office facilities across Nigeria.
A further count accuses him of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council between 2024 and 2025.
Adeyemi has not yet entered his plea on the charges, and the allegations remain subject to determination by the court.
