The Federal Government has filed a fresh 36-count amended charge against the embattled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, and four others over allegations of forgery, false representation, and fraud.

Adeniyi appeared alongside his co-defendants before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday.

However, their arraignment on the fresh charges could not proceed because the fourth defendant, Florence Omemah, was absent due to illness.

Prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court that Omemah was receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja. He subsequently requested a seven-day adjournment to allow her to recover and appear in court to take her plea.

Counsel to Adeniyi, Ibrahim Angulu, however, urged the court to grant a shorter adjournment to enable him to pursue bail for his client. He also informed the court that Adeniyi had been in detention for more than 200 days.

In a brief ruling, Justice Yusuf adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all the defendants.

The judge further ordered that Adeniyi be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the other defendants should remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The case centres on allegations that Adeniyi established a fictitious federal agency known as the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and falsely presented himself as its director-general.

Investigators alleged that the agency had no legal backing and that Adeniyi forged appointment letters and signatures attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President to legitimise his purported position.

According to investigators, he occupied offices previously used by the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and allegedly held unauthorised meetings with foreign diplomats.

He was also accused of seeking official documentation for United States visa applications and operating 34 bank accounts.

Investigators further alleged that he exploited loopholes in the civil service system to secure a proposed allocation of ₦1.302bn for the fictitious agency in the 2026 budget.

Following an interim report presented to President Bola Tinubu, the ICPC reportedly uncovered two other allegedly fictitious agencies linked to Adeniyi: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.

The commission also recommended disciplinary action against some public officials suspected of assisting the alleged scheme.

In October 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the initial eight-count charge after concerns about its jurisdiction prompted the Attorney-General of the Federation to withdraw the case.

The ICPC subsequently filed a fresh 36-count amended charge, bringing additional defendants into the case over their alleged involvement in the scheme.

Adeniyi has pleaded not guilty to the allegations of fraud, forgery, and impersonation. He remains in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre as the case proceeds.