Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has declined the request by the detained self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, for bail and access to medical attention.
Ruling on Adeyemi’s ex-parte application, Justice Egwuatu instead ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation to grant him access to his lawyers.
The judge also directed the IGP, Nigeria Police Force and AGF to show cause within 72 hours why the other reliefs sought by Adeyemi, including bail, should not be granted.
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter until September 9 for the respondents to show cause.
Adeyemi has been in police custody since his arrest in Osun State on July 14, following a bench warrant issued by Justice Mohammed Umar of the same court after he failed to appear for arraignment.
The police had filed an eight-count charge against him in November 2025, alleging forgery, fraud and impersonation, including claims that he forged presidential letter-headed papers and falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC.
The Presidency has described the PFIPC as a fictitious government agency and accused Adeyemi of forging appointment documents and impersonating a government official.
The controversy deepened after the disputed agency appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Bill under the name “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council,” with an allocation of about N1.303 billion. The House of Representatives subsequently launched a probe into the inclusion of the entity in the budget.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission also investigated the matter and, in August, submitted an interim report to President Bola Tinubu recommending Adeyemi’s prosecution. The ICPC said its preliminary findings showed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that documents allegedly used to establish the agency were forged.
The House investigation has also heard allegations against Adeyemi, including a claim by businessman Gbenga Collins that he paid N400 million to Adeyemi to facilitate a contract.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that he is prepared to defend himself in court.