The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday ordered the remand of self-acclaimed Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, 38, in Kuje prison.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, said Adeniyi should remain in prison pending the hearing and determination of his bail application.
The judge’s order came shortly after Adeniyi pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and forgery, brought against him and two others by the police.
The two are Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown), now at large.
At the mention of the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that a charge was pending against the defendant.
Oyedepo sought the court’s permission to have the charge read to Adeniyi for his plea.
Defence lawyer Genesis Francis did not object, following which an official of the court read out the eight counts to the defendant, who pleaded not guilty.
Oyedepo then applied for a date for the commencement of trial and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison pending the conclusion of the trial.
Francis later informed the court that his client had since filed a bail application, which had been served on the prosecution and was ripe for hearing.
The judge said he would prefer to take the bail application on the next adjourned date and adjourned the matter till October 12 at 12 noon.
Dressed in a white robe, Adeniyi, who also wore a white fez cap, looked calm throughout the proceedings, which lasted about 30 minutes. He was brought to court by officials of the Cybercrimes Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
Adeniyi, who had been in police custody since he was arrested in July, was handed over shortly after the proceedings to men of the prison service, who later took him away.
One of the counts reads: That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew (male), 38 years, of 2nd Floor, Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown), now at large, on or about the 8th day of March, 2024, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit a felony, to wit: forgery, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The alleged forgeries include: an appointment letter purported to have been issued by President Tinubu and signed by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; presidential letterheaded papers; and a request for collaboration with a ministry on land requisition and offices across the 36 states of the federation purported to have been issued from State House, Abuja.
The charge said Mathew, sometime between 2024 and 2025, ‘falsely personated as the Director General of Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 179 of the Penal Code.’
The prosecution said he ‘forged a request for office space, purported to be from State House, Abuja, Nigeria’, ‘forged a request for approval of staff accounts status purported to have been issued from State House, Abuja,’ and ‘forged conveyance approval of the take-off of Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, purported to emanate from State House, Abuja’.