The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, declined to grant an application for bail filed by the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi.
In a ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Adeyemi’s lawyer, M.B. Abdulazeez, Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that, there was the need to hear from the police and other respondents in the suit in the interest of fair hearing.
The judge, however, granted a relief for the respondents to give Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, an unhindered access to his lawyers.
Adeyemi, through his lawyer, had, in the suit, sued the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Assistant-Inspector General of Police as 1st to 4th respondents respectively.
Adeyemi had, in the suit, urged the court to admit him to bail, release him from detention and allow him to seek medical attention from health practitioners of his own choice over his alleged ill health.
He also sought an order retsraining the police or any other officers or agents from interrogating him or directing him to make, adopt or sign any statement, save in the presence of a legal practitioner of his own choice.
Adeyemi equally sought, “an order that, for so long as the applicant remains in custody, the respondents do permit the applicant unimpeded access to legal practitioners of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.”
In his affidavit, Adeyemi’s elder brother, Adeniyi Adebola, said the detainee was unable to attend to the commissioner for oaths by reason of his detention.
The police, in a criminal charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, is presently prosecuting Adeyemi over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, among others, before another brother judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, who had, in July, issued an arrest warrant against Adeyemi following his absence from scheduled proceedings.
The judge then fixed September 30 for his arraignment.
After the issuance of arrest warrant, Adeyemi was later apprehended by the police and had been in custody, pending his arraignment.
Meanwhile, when the civil case before Justice Egwuatu was called on Thursday, Abdulazeez, who appeared for Adeyemi, moved the motion ex-parte.
After moving the application, Justice Egwatu held that the requests for bail, medical attention and other reliefs could not be granted without hearing from the respondents.
The judge, however, granted Relief 6, which mandated the AGF and the police to give Adeniyi unfettered access to his lawyers.
The judge also gave the respondents a 72-hour ultimatum to show cause why the other reliefs sought by Adeniyi should not be granted.
The court consequently fixed September 9 for the respondents to show cause.
The police, in the criminal charge, named Adeyemi, “Femi Surname Unknown,” and “Anu Surname Unknown” as the first to third defendants, respectively, over alleged forgery and impersonation.
In the police processes before Justice Umar, the prosecution lined up several witnesses, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, etc, to give evidence in the case.
Investigators alleged that Adeyemi operated the purported agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before his arrest.
END
Comments