In a swift and coordinated security operation, the Nigeria Police Force arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi on Tuesday in his Osun State hideout.
Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the unrecognized Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), was apprehended following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The warrant was issued after Adeyemi repeatedly failed to show up for his arraignment on an eight-count charge involving conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation.
The Courtroom Drama and the Bench Warrant
Justice Mohammed Umar ordered the arrest after granting an oral application made by the prosecution leader, Wisdom Madaki.
Adeyemi had failed to present himself to the court to answer for the charges in the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025. Following the warrant, the judge adjourned the case until September 30, 2026, for the defendant’s formal arraignment.
Prior to the warrant being issued, Adeyemi’s defense counsel, Genesis Francis, argued against the application. He explained that his client had gone into hiding out of fear for his life, even writing to President Bola Tinubu regarding active threats against him.
According to the lawyer, his client’s primary concern was simply staying alive to defend his name.
In response to these security concerns, Justice Umar remarked:
“The court will help him be alive,”
The judge then officially ordered the bench warrant, clearing the way for security forces to track him down.
The Tracking and Arrest in Osun State
Following the court order, the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) successfully located and detained the suspect in Osun State. Aminu Koji, the Personal Assistant to the Force Public Relations Officer, later confirmed the arrest to reporters, stating:
“We have just confirmed the arrest of Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi by a team of the Intelligence Response Team in Osun State. Thank you,”
A video broadcast by TVC News also surfaced online, showing Adeyemi in police custody.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the hunt for Adeyemi had been ongoing for more than a week. He was initially trailed by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). To evade capture, Adeyemi switched off his mobile phones for about two days, temporarily disrupting their tracking efforts.
The DSS team eventually handed over the operation to the Police IRT, led by CSP Moses Lohor, who entered Osun State to finalize the tracking.
Lohor, the former Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Osun State Police Command, is a well-known and sometimes controversial figure in local security. While some residents credit him with restoring peace in areas like Ilesa, he was previously embroiled in a 2024 controversy where the Inspector-General of Police ordered his arrest and prosecution for the alleged attempted murder of Comrade Iyanda Alowonle.
A security source, speaking anonymously, detailed the final moments of the arrest:
“The arrest of Adeyemi took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja,”
Osun State Police Command spokesman, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the arrest but did not provide further details.
Adeyemi’s Defense and His Letters to the Presidency
Before his arrest, Adeyemi had released an open letter to President Tinubu, expressing his willingness to comply with an investigation but raising concerns about his personal safety.
He welcomed the President’s directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to look into the PFIPC, but claimed that an executive agency could not remain truly independent. Instead, he petitioned for an independent panel of inquiry.
He claimed that surrendering to security agencies without protection would be “signing his own death warrant,” citing reliable intelligence that he would be killed. He pointed to the recent death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, whom he labeled a key intermediary in the matter, as justification for his fears.
His defense attorney, Genesis Francis, admitted to reporters that he had lost touch with his client prior to the arrest:
“Someone has to be alive before justice is heard in this case. I cannot reach my client. I haven’t seen him for over a month. It’s sad, but that is the reality of the situation. A bench warrant has been issued against him. The matter has been adjourned till September 30. We can only wait and see how this matter unfolds,”
The Severe Charges on the Table
The federal government filed its eight-count charge on November 27, 2025, accusing Adeyemi and two accomplices (identified as Femi and Anu, both currently at large) of running a fake presidential council that the Presidency insists has never existed.
According to the prosecution, the suspects forged several official instruments, including State House letterheads, office space requests, and presidential appointments.
Count Two of the official charge sheet reads:
“That you Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew ‘M’ 38 years of 2nd Floor, Federal Secretariat Complex Abuja, Femi, surname unknown and Anu, surname unknown, now at large, on or about 8th day of March, 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court forged appointment letter purported to have been appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President Federal Republic of Nigeria, and signed by Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”
Count Five of the charge sheet further details the impersonation allegations:
“That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew ‘M’ 38 years of 2nd Floor, Federal Secretariat Complex Abuja, Femi surname unknown and Anu surname unknown now at large, sometime between 2024 and 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court falsely personates as the Director General of Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 179 of the Penal Code.”
If found guilty of the forgery charges, Adeyemi faces a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison without the option of a fine. The impersonation charge carries a potential sentence of up to three years, a fine, or both.
