The self-acclaimed Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) after allegedly going into hiding to evade prosecution.
Adeyemi was apprehended at a hideout in Osun State, just hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over his repeated failure to appear for arraignment on an eight-count charge of alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.
The court was informed that despite several adjournments and repeated opportunities to appear, Adeyemi consistently failed to honour court proceedings.
On the latest hearing, his lawyer claimed his client feared for his safety because of the public attention surrounding the case.
The prosecution rejected the excuse and urged the court to compel his appearance, prompting the judge to order his immediate arrest.
Following the warrant, detectives launched a coordinated manhunt that tracked Adeyemi to Osun State, where he was arrested by the IRT.
A video released after the operation showed the suspect in police custody being questioned by investigators before his transfer to Abuja to face trial.
Adeyemi is accused of operating the fictitious PFIPC by allegedly forging official government documents, impersonating public officials and using fake presidential endorsements to deceive members of the public.
He is expected to be produced before the Federal High Court in Abuja for arraignment in line with the court’s directive.
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