Nigerian Man on Trial for Forged Agency Appointment

A Nigerian man accused of forging an appointment to lead a fictitious presidential agency is facing trial, with the presidency alleging an elaborate fraud scheme that involved foreign diplomats and dozens of bank accounts. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, is scheduled to appear at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, on eight counts of forgery, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence.

The presidency has forcefully rejected the existence of the council and detailed an alleged scheme that began to unravel in October 2025. According to official statements, officials from the legitimate Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission complained that another entity was operating at cross-purposes with it. In response, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned security agencies on October 17, 2025, to investigate what he called an elaborate forgery and impersonation scheme.

Police arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025. Investigators allege he operated from an office in the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, where he hosted meetings with foreign...