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The Nigerian Government has filed a new 36-count charge against the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, and four others over alleged forgery, false representation and fraud.
Adeniyi appeared before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Nigerian Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday. However, the court could not arraign the defendants because the fourth defendant, Florence Omemah, was absent due to illness.
Prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, told the court that Omemah was receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja. He requested a seven-day adjournment to allow her to recover and appear for her plea.
However, Adeniyi’s lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, urged the court to grant a shorter adjournment. He said he wanted to pursue bail for his client, who had spent more than 200 days in detention. In his ruling, Justice Yusuf adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all the defendants.
The judge also ordered that Adeniyi remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the other defendants should remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The case centres on allegations that Adeniyi created a fictitious national agency, the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, and falsely presented himself as its director-general.
Investigators alleged that the agency had no legal backing. They also accused Adeniyi of forging appointment letters and signatures attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President to support his claim to the position.
According to investigators, Adeniyi occupied offices previously used by the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council at the National Secretariat in Abuja. He also allegedly held unauthorised meetings with foreign diplomats.
He was further accused of seeking official documentation for United States visas and operating 34 bank accounts. Investigators also alleged that Adeniyi exploited gaps in the civil service system to secure a proposed ₦1.302 billion allocation for the fictitious agency in the 2026 budget.
Following an interim report presented to President Bola Tinubu, the ICPC reportedly uncovered two other agencies allegedly linked to Adeniyi. They are the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.
The commission also recommended disciplinary action against public officials suspected of helping with the alleged scheme. In October 2026, the Nigerian High Court in Abuja struck out an earlier eight-count charge after the Attorney-General of the Federation withdrew the case over jurisdiction concerns.
The ICPC later filed the new 36-count amended charge, adding more defendants over their alleged roles in the scheme. Adeniyi has pleaded not guilty to the allegations of fraud, forgery and impersonation. He remains in custody as the case continues.
