Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), in Osun State following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The arrest came hours after Justice Mohammed Umar ordered security agencies to apprehend Adeyemi for repeatedly failing to appear in court to answer an eight-count criminal charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.
The prosecution had argued that the defendant had ignored several court dates despite being aware of the proceedings.
Confirming the development, Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said Adeyemi was arrested in the state on Tuesday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, also confirmed that the suspect was apprehended by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) during an intelligence-led operation and is currently in police custody for further investigation.
During Tuesday’s proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Adeyemi’s counsel, Genesis Francis, informed the court that his client stayed away because he feared for his life and had written to President Bola Tinubu on the matter.
The prosecution, however, insisted that the defendant had repeatedly failed to honour court summons, prompting the request for a warrant of arrest.
Justice Umar subsequently granted the application and adjourned the case to September 30 for arraignment.
Adeyemi has been at the centre of a national controversy over the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation the Presidency maintains does not exist as a recognised federal agency.
The Federal Government has accused him of forging official documents, impersonating government officials and falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee.
Adeyemi has consistently denied wrongdoing and has questioned how the council appeared in the 2026 federal budget and operated from office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
According to court documents previously filed by the police, Adeyemi and two other suspects currently at large are accused of conspiracy, forgery of presidential letterheads and appointment letters, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence.
The charges stem from investigations initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President reported the alleged use of forged documents bearing official seals and signatures.
The PFIPC controversy has sparked widespread public debate over how a body later described by the Presidency as fictitious was reportedly included in the 2026 Appropriation Act and allocated office space within the Federal Secretariat, raising questions about possible institutional lapses.
The House of Representatives has commenced inquiries into the matter, while President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the wider circumstances surrounding the scandal.
