The Federal Government will re-arraign Adeniyi Adeyemi, the convener of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, after a Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the eight-count charge of forgery and impersonation filed against him.
The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, struck out the charge on Monday following an application by the prosecution, which said the Attorney-General of the Federation had identified jurisdictional issues with the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the court that the alleged forged documents related to the operations of the purported agency fell within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Oyedepo said the Federal Government had filed a fresh charge before the FCT High Court and intended to arraign Adeyemi without delay.
He subsequently urged the court to strike out the existing charge.
Adeyemi’s lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, did not oppose the application, prompting Umar to strike out the charge.
The development does not amount to an acquittal, as the government intends to continue the prosecution through a fresh charge.
Adeyemi has been in police custody since his arrest in Osun State on July 14.
Before his arrest, a Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered his arrest after he failed to honour the court’s summons.
The purported council allegedly operated like a government agency despite lacking legal standing or a presidential declaration. It reportedly received an allocation in the 2026 budget, occupied an office at the Federal Secretariat and recruited staff.
The controversy deepened after Adeyemi alleged that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, collected N400m through a proxy in connection with an appointment letter into the purported agency.
Following public outcry over the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the scandal.
The fresh arraignment is expected to provide the next stage in the prosecution of the alleged forgery and impersonation offences.
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