UPDATED: Fake Agency Scandal: Court remands Adeyemi over forgery, impersonation charges

The federal government on Wednesday arraigned Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of creating and operating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

He pleaded not guilty to all eight charges read to him before Judge Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Mr Adeyemi, 38, confirmed that he understood all the counts when they were read to him, before answering, “not guilty” to the counts one after the other.

“In view of the not guilty plea by the defendant, he is due to have put himself for trial,” Mr Oyedepo said after the plea.

The prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of Public Prosecutions, urged the court to grant an order of accelerated trial, given the high level of public interest in the case.

Mr Oyedepo asked the court to remand Mr Adeyemi in prison custody pending the conclusion of trial.

However, Mr Adeyemi’s lawyer, Genesis Francis, informed the court of a bail application already filed on behalf of the defendant on 12 January.

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Mr Francis said the bail application was set for hearing, having been served on the prosecution and the prosecution responded to it.

Mr Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who appeared for the prosecution on Wednesday, earlier told the court that he was directed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to take over the case from the Nigerian police, who instituted the charges last year.