The Federal Government has filed fresh charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, 38, accused of impersonating the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), after a Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the existing criminal case against him.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar struck out the eight-count charge on Monday following an application by the prosecution, which cited issues identified during a review of the case.
The government disclosed that it had filed a fresh charge against Adeyemi before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where he is expected to be arraigned.
Moving the application, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, told the court that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had reviewed the case file and the charge initially filed by the Inspector-General of Police.
Oyedepo said the review revealed gaps in the existing case, necessitating a change of court to ensure that the allegations were prosecuted before the appropriate judicial authority.
He explained that the alleged forgery of documents relating to Adeyemi’s purported operation of the agency involved offences that fell within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court rather than the Federal High Court.
The DPPF further informed the court that steps had been taken to initiate fresh proceedings, assuring the judge that Adeyemi would be arraigned before the new court without delay.
He consequently urged Justice Umar to strike out the existing charge to enable the prosecution to proceed through the appropriate legal channel.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the application, paving the way for the court to terminate the proceedings.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025, comprised eight counts bordering on alleged conspiracy and forgery. Two other defendants, identified only as Femi and Anu, were also named in the charge but were reportedly at large.
The court’s decision brings the existing proceedings before the Federal High Court to an end but does not amount to an acquittal of Adeyemi or a determination of the allegations against him.
The Federal Government is expected to pursue the case through the fresh charge filed before the FCT High Court.