Court orders IGP, AGF to grant Adeniyi Adeyemi access to lawyers

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and the Nigeria Police Force to permit Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is linked to the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), to have “unimpeded access to lawyers of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.”

Justice Obiora Egwatu gave the order while ruling on a fundamental rights motion ex parte application filed by Adeyemi’s lawyer, M.B. Abdulazeez, Esq.

Recall that, in a separate criminal charge filed by the police, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Umar Mohammed, issued an arrest warrant against Adeyemi in July following his absence from scheduled proceedings, while fixing September 30 for his arraignment.

Adeyemi was arrested the same day by law enforcement agents.

What they are saying

At the civil proceedings, Abdulazeez announced his appearance and adopted his motion ex parte.

In the motion ex parte signed by Ademola Oyedokun, Esq., the court was urged to grant six reliefs.

Reliefs 1 to 4 deal with his bail request, his release from detention, and his request for medical attention from health practitioners of his own choice over his alleged ill health.

Reliefs 5 and 6 state:

• “AN ORDER that, for so long as the Applicant remains in custody, the Respondents (including Assistant IGP, NFC, NCCC), whether by themselves, their officers, servants, agents or privies, or any agency of the Federal Government whatsoever, be restrained from interrogating the Applicant or requiring him to make, adopt or sign any statement, save in the presence of a legal practitioner of his own choosing.
• “AN ORDER that, for so long as the Applicant remains in custody, the Respondents do permit the Applicant unimpeded access to legal practitioners of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.”

In his affidavit, Adeyemi’s elder brother, Adeniyi Adebola, said the detainee was unable to attend to the Commissioner for Oaths by reason of his detention.

After hearing from the lawyer and reviewing the processes, Justice Egwatu held that the requests for bail, medical attention, and other reliefs could not be granted without hearing from the respondents.

The judge, however, granted Relief 6, which mandated the AGF and the police to give Adeniyi unfettered access to his lawyers.

The judge also gave the AGF and the police a 72-hour ultimatum to show cause why the other reliefs sought by Adeniyi should not be granted.

The court consequently fixed September 9 for the respondents to show cause.

Backstory

Nairametrics previously reported that the Nigeria Police Force had announced plans to arraign Adeniyi Adeyemi before the court over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, and related offences.

The police, in a fresh charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, listed Adeyemi, “Femi Surname Unknown,” and “Anu Surname Unknown” as the first to third defendants, respectively, over alleged forgery and impersonation.

• In the police processes before Justice Umar, the prosecution lined up several witnesses, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, police officers, civil servants, and individuals allegedly linked to the operations of the purported agency.
• Hotel operators, a clergyman, and persons said to have worked with Adeyemi at the alleged agency are also expected to testify.

Investigators alleged that Adeyemi operated the purported agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before his arrest.

The police case follows a public dispute over the existence of the alleged PFIPC after Adeyemi challenged the Presidency’s denial that the body ever existed.

During a press briefing, Adeyemi called for an independent probe.

He claimed that N400 million was paid through intermediaries, with an additional N200 million allegedly requested. However, these claims have not been substantiated, particularly before the court.

What you should know

The PFIPC controversy gained national attention after Adeniyi Adeyemi publicly claimed that he had been appointed to head the organisation.

• In mid-July, Adeyemi said he borrowed N400 million to finance what he described as the processing of his appointment, alleging that payments were made through intermediaries and that additional money was later requested.
• He also denied wrongdoing and attempted to link senior officials in the Presidency to the controversy.
• President Tinubu had earlier directed the ICPC to investigate the PFIPC after allegations emerged that alleged forged appointment letters and other government documents were used to create the impression of a legitimate federal agency.
• In early August, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) told President Tinubu, via its interim report, that the agency (PFIPC) was never established by the Federal Government and that the appointment letter presented by its self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, was forged.

In late August, President Tinubu ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), following findings on ghost workers, alleged fake agencies, and other control weaknesses.