Man arraigned in Abuja over alleged fake federal agency scheme
Adeniyi Adeyemi has pleaded not guilty to eight charges after the Federal Government accused him of creating and operating a purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. Prosecutors requested accelerated proceedings and prison remand, while his lawyer said a bail application was already pending before the Federal High Court.
The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned Adeniyi Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations linked to the creation and operation of a purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. Mr Adeyemi, 38, pleaded not guilty to all eight charges read before Judge Mohammed Umar. He confirmed that he understood each count before responding “not guilty” to them one after another.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court that the defendant was due to face trial. Mr Oyedepo asked for an accelerated hearing, citing the high level of public interest in the case. He also requested that Mr Adeyemi be remanded in prison custody until the conclusion of the trial.
The prosecution’s request came after the defendant denied all the charges. Mr Adeyemi’s lawyer, Genesis Francis, told the court that a bail application had already been filed on January 12. He said the application had been served on the prosecution and that the prosecution had responded to it, making it ready for hearing.
Mr Oyedepo said he had been directed by the Attorney-General of the Federation to take over the case from the Nigerian police. The police had instituted the charges last year, according to the prosecution. The proceedings concern the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, identified in the source material by the acronym PFIPC.
The material does not provide the individual allegations contained in the eight counts or details of the alleged organisation’s operations beyond the government’s accusation that Mr Adeyemi created and operated it. The court must still consider the bail application and the prosecution’s request for remand. Mr Adeyemi’s not-guilty plea means the allegations remain unproven and will be tested through the trial process.
No ruling on bail or remand was included in the supplied report.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.