The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday declined an application seeking bail for Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Adeyemi’s counsel, M.B. Abdulazeez, held that the police and other respondents in the suit needed to be heard in the interest of fair hearing.
Justice Egwuatu, however, granted an order directing the respondents to ensure that Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, has unhindered access to his lawyers.
According to media reports, Adeyemi, through his lawyer, instituted the suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police (IGP), Nigeria Police Force and Assistant-Inspector General of Police as the 1st to 4th respondents respectively.
In the suit signed by another lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, the alleged fake DG sought six reliefs from the court.
Adeyemi urged the court to grant him bail, order his release from detention and allow him to obtain medical attention from health practitioners of his choice over his alleged ill health.
He also sought an order restraining the police or any other officers or agents from interrogating him or compelling him to make, adopt or sign any statement except in the presence of a legal practitioner of his choice.
He equally sought “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, stated that the detainee was unable to appear before the commissioner for oaths because of his detention.
According to media reports, the police, in a criminal charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, is currently prosecuting Adeyemi over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, among others, before another brother judge, Justice Mohammed Umar.
Justice Umar had, in July, issued an arrest warrant against Adeyemi following his absence from scheduled proceedings.
The judge subsequently fixed Sept. 30 for his arraignment.
Following the issuance of the arrest warrant, Adeyemi was later arrested by the police and has remained in custody pending his arraignment.
Meanwhile, when the civil case before Justice Obiora came up on Thursday, Abdulazeez, who appeared for Adeyemi, moved the ex-parte application.
After hearing the application, Justice Egwuatu 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 six, directing the AGF and the police to provide Adeniyi with unfettered access to his lawyers.
The judge also gave the respondents a 72-hour ultimatum to show cause why the remaining reliefs sought by Adeniyi should not be granted.
The court consequently fixed Sept. 9 for the respondents to show cause.
The police, in the criminal charge, named 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 listed several witnesses, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, among others, to testify in the case.
Investigators alleged that Adeyemi operated the purported agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before his arrest.
