The Nigeria Police Force will on Tuesday arraign the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of forgery, impersonation and other related offences.
Adeyemi is expected to be docked alongside two other defendants on an eight-count charge filed by the police following months of investigation into the activities of the controversial agency, which authorities say never legally existed.
The fresh charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was filed on November 27, 2025, by police prosecutor Wisdom Madaki.
According to the charge, Adeyemi allegedly operated the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council from an office on the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, before he was arrested by security operatives.
The police accused him and his co-defendants of forging official documents, impersonating public officials and carrying out activities under the name of a non-existent federal agency.
Tuesday’s arraignment follows an earlier hearing on June 16, when the defendants were expected to take their plea. However, the case was adjourned after Adeyemi was said to be ill and unable to appear before the court.
Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently fixed a new date for the arraignment.
Court documents filed by the prosecution show that the police intend to call several high-profile witnesses to establish their case.
Among those listed is the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, whose petition reportedly triggered the investigation into the activities of the alleged fake agency.
Other witnesses include Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede and Ituah Sylvester.
Also expected to testify are officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), including Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police involved in the investigation.
The prosecution also listed Ojo Victor, Omeh Amarachukwu and Wakili Saidu, who were allegedly posted to work with Adeyemi at the controversial agency before its operations came under scrutiny.
Joy Ngwoke, the owner of Kachi Hotel in Abuja, and Ven. Okoriko, the pastor of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama, are also among the witnesses expected to appear before the court.
According to the police, the prosecution has assembled several documentary exhibits that it intends to tender during the trial.
These include the official police investigation report and the petition submitted by Gbajabiamila on October 17, 2025.
The police also plan to present what they described as Adeyemi’s alleged fake presidential appointment letter dated March 8, 2024.
Other documents listed include correspondence requesting a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approvals allegedly obtained to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and documents relating to requests for self-accounting submitted to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The prosecution further listed documents relating to the approval for the take-off of the PFIPC, as well as letters requesting collaboration with government ministries on land acquisition and office accommodation across Nigeria’s 36 states.
Statements made by witnesses and the defendants, together with photographs obtained during the investigation, are also expected to be presented as evidence.
The police stated in the court documents that they reserve the right to call additional witnesses during the trial if necessary.
“The prosecution shall at the trial call any other related witness or witnesses to prove its case,” the court filing stated.
The criminal case is the latest development in a scandal that has generated widespread public attention after allegations emerged that a non-existent government agency found its way into the 2026 federal budget.
The controversy deepened after reports indicated that about **N1.3 billion** was allocated to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite questions over its legal status.
Following the revelations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the agency within 30 days.
The President’s directive was aimed at determining how the agency was established, whether public funds were improperly allocated to it and whether any government officials were involved in the alleged fraud.
The investigation has since attracted significant political attention.
Opposition politicians and several political parties have criticised the Senate’s decision to suspend plans for its own independent investigation into the controversial budget allocation.
Instead, the Red Chamber resolved to await the outcome of the ICPC investigation ordered by the President.
That decision has continued to attract criticism from opposition groups, which argue that the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility to investigate how the allocation was included in the budget approved by lawmakers.
According to the opposition figures, leaving the matter entirely to the anti-corruption agency is not enough to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s budget process.
They insist that the Senate should also examine whether there were failures within its own appropriation system that allowed funds to be earmarked for an agency whose legal status is now being questioned.
Some opposition leaders have also renewed calls for the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to temporarily step aside while investigations continue, although others argue that no public official should be declared guilty until the investigations and court proceedings are concluded.
The controversy has also renewed calls for stricter verification procedures during the preparation and approval of the annual national budget to prevent allocations to agencies or projects that may not have proper legal backing.
The outcome of Tuesday’s arraignment is expected to determine the next stage of the criminal proceedings, including whether the defendants will enter their pleas and whether the court will grant bail or proceed to trial.
With both the police prosecution and the ICPC investigation progressing simultaneously, the PFIPC controversy is likely to remain in public focus as authorities seek to determine whether criminal offences were committed and how the alleged fictitious agency operated within the Federal Secretariat before it was uncovered.