A Nigerian man accused of heading an allegedly fake presidential council has been arrested and is expected to face eight charges, including forgery and impersonation, the authorities say.

The federal government has pressed charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeniyi Adeyemi, whom it accuses of running the ''fictitious'' Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Adeyemi denies this, insisting that the council was lawfully established and that he was duly appointed to head it, vowing to prove his innocence in court. The hearing is reportedly set for 27 July.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday after he failed to appear before the court for his arraignment, according to Nigerian media reports.

For more than two years, Adeyemi, 38, acted as the head of the agency whose role was purportedly to attract foreign investment, aid and partnerships.

President’s Chief of Staff

Local media quoted him as claiming that he was appointed to head the agency by Chief of Staff at the Nigerian presidency Femi Gbajabiamila, who has since denied the claim.

Adeyemi had an office at the Federal Secretariat in the capital, Abuja, where most government ministries and agencies operate.

Moreover, civil servants were assigned to him and the agency was given official budgetary status.

However, President Bola Tinubu's office accuses Adeyemi of using forged State House letterhead to convince top government agencies and officials of the genuineness of his agency.

The president's spokesperson said the suspect misled the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and “fraudulently” opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria using “fake documents”.

In total he operated 34 bank accounts, according to the authorities, although it’s not yet clear exactly how much money, including budgetary allocations, was involved in the whole saga.