Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) will defend Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is facing federal charges of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and use of forged presidential documents.
Adeyemi had earlier accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding bribes running into hundreds of millions of naira over his alleged appointment to head a government agency. The Presidency has denied the claim, insisting Adeyemi was never appointed by President Bola Tinubu and that the agency in question does not exist.
Sources told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that Falana will represent Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the Federal Government has filed an eight-count charge against him. Two other suspects, identified only as Femi and Anu, are also named in the charge but remain at large.
According to the charge sheet, Adeyemi — whose listed address is the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja — allegedly conspired with the two suspects to forge several official State House documents, including a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by Gbajabiamila. He is also accused of forging presidential letterheads and documents relating to office space requests, agency collaborations and approvals for the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Prosecutors allege that between 2024 and 2025, Adeyemi falsely presented himself as Director-General of the council, a position he continues to insist is legitimate. The Presidency maintains the agency is fictitious.
The criminal charges followed Adeyemi’s claims that Gbajabiamila demanded ₦400 million, plus an additional ₦200 million, to secure his appointment, along with 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed ₦27.4 billion take-off grant. Adeyemi had called for an independent panel to investigate the allegations and for forensic testing of documents signed by Gbajabiamila.
Responding on Wednesday, the Presidency said a joint probe by the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Adviser’s office and the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Adeyemi was never appointed by Tinubu or any government body.
Police said the investigation began after the Chief of Staff’s office petitioned over forged appointment letters allegedly bearing its name. Investigators say the documents carried fake signatures, seals and reference numbers designed to support Adeyemi’s claim of heading a federal agency.
Adeyemi was arrested on October 27, 2025, at an office where he allegedly operated as the council’s Director-General. Searches of the office and his residence in APC Quarters, Suleja, Niger State, reportedly turned up several documents linked to the case.
Police said Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola had procured the appointment letter for him. However, investigators later established that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja — a detail they say was confirmed by his family, hospital records and his church.
Financial intelligence from the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit reportedly showed that Adeyemi held 34 active bank accounts across several commercial banks, including one opened in the name of the purported council with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Police say their investigation has established a prima facie case against Adeyemi.
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