A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-proclaimed Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), over his failure to appear for arraignment on fraud-related charges.
Justice Mohammed Umar made the order on Tuesday following an oral application by police counsel, Wisdom Madaki, after Adeyemi failed to appear in court for the fifth consecutive hearing.
Adeyemi is facing an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, bordering on alleged forgery, fraud, and impersonation.
Although absent from the courtroom, the defendant was represented by his lawyer, Genesis Francis, who argued that Adeyemi’s absence was due to fears for his safety.
Madaki informed the court that the defendant had repeatedly failed to honour court summons since the charges were filed in November 2025, noting that every adjournment had been at Adeyemi’s request.
“My Lord, this is the fifth time this matter is coming up, and all previous adjournments were at the instance of the defendant,” Madaki told the court while urging Justice Umar to invoke Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and issue a bench warrant.
Opposing the application, Francis maintained that his client had attended court on May 16 before the matter was adjourned, adding that the case had since attracted widespread public attention and security concerns.
According to the defence counsel, Adeyemi had received several threats to his life and feared appearing in public.
“The defendant is afraid for his life. He has to remain alive to stand trial. People have been looking for him even without a court order,” Francis submitted.
Responding to the claim, Justice Umar assured the defence that the court would ensure the defendant’s safety while the judicial process continued.
Delivering his ruling, the judge held that the prosecution’s application was meritorious and granted the request for a bench warrant.
Justice Umar directed all security agencies to arrest Adeyemi wherever he is found and produce him before the court for arraignment.
The case was subsequently adjourned to September 30, 2026, for further proceedings.