The self-acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, failed to appear in court on Tuesday for his scheduled arraignment over alleged certificate forgery and related offences.
Adeyemi was expected to take his plea before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court on an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, fraud and impersonation.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was listed on the court’s cause list, but the defendant was absent when proceedings commenced.
The charges against Adeyemi and two other defendants were filed on November 27, 2025, by police prosecutor Wisdom Madaki.
Several witnesses have been listed to testify in the case, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as Paul Emmanuel, Jeremiah Imoukhede and Ituah Sylvester.
Other witnesses include officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, alongside a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Adeyemi’s absence comes a day after he said his withdrawal from public view was due to alleged threats to his life.
During an interview on Channels Television on Monday, he denied claims that he was hiding to avoid investigation into the alleged PFIPC fraud.
He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as Director-General of the disputed agency.
According to Adeyemi, those who allegedly lent him the money have now petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the transaction.
