The Federal Government has withdrawn its eight-count criminal case against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged fake Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, after identifying legal issues with the original prosecution.
The Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the charge on Monday following an application by the government, which said Adeyemi would be transferred to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory for a fresh arraignment.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, told Justice Mohammed Garba Umar that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed the case file and the charges initially filed by the Inspector-General of Police.
According to Oyedepo, the review revealed loopholes in the prosecution, including questions concerning the appropriate court to handle the alleged offences.
He explained that the documents Adeyemi allegedly forged while operating the purported agency constituted offences that could be prosecuted before the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
The DPPF informed the court that a fresh charge had already been filed before the FCT High Court and that the defendant would be arraigned again without delay.
He consequently urged Justice Umar to strike out the existing charge to allow the prosecution to proceed through the appropriate judicial channel.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the application, paving the way for the court to strike out the case.
Adeyemi, 38, had been facing trial alongside two other defendants in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025 over allegations bordering on conspiracy and forgery.
The two other defendants, identified only as Femi and Anu, are said to be at large, with their full surnames unknown.
The latest development shifts the prosecution to the FCT High Court, where the Federal Government says Adeyemi will face a fresh arraignment on the allegations.
The striking out of the charge followed the government’s application and does not, in itself, amount to a determination of Adeyemi’s guilt or innocence on the allegations.
