Presidency Seeks Prosecution of Officials Linked to Alleged Fake Government Agency Scam

The Presidency has called on security and anti-corruption agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute government officials who allegedly collaborated with suspected fraudster Matthew Adeniyi Adeyemi in operating two fictitious federal government agencies.

The call followed growing public controversy over Adeyemi, who is accused of creating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council using forged documents allegedly linked to the Presidency.

In a statement posted on his verified X account, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said investigators should focus on uncovering the internal network that allegedly enabled the suspected fraud to thrive rather than limiting investigations to Adeyemi alone.

Ajayi urged the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to expose and prosecute all public officials who may have assisted the suspect in carrying out the alleged scheme.

He stressed that contrary to public perception, it was government institutions that uncovered the alleged fraud and initiated action against it.

The Presidency had earlier disowned both organisations, describing them as non-existent and insisting that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, neither authorised Adeyemi’s activities nor had any connection with them.

Ajayi accused Adeyemi of attempting to implicate the Chief of Staff to divert attention from the allegations against him.

“In Nigeria, the easiest allegation to make against a public officer is corruption. Once such an allegation is made, attention shifts from the real issues,” he said, describing Adeyemi as “an irredeemable con artist.”

According to the Presidency, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, detected inconsistencies in Adeyemi’s operations and reported the matter to the appropriate authorities.

Ajayi said the discovery demonstrated that institutional safeguards within government were effective, adding that investigators should now dismantle the broader criminal network that allegedly supported the operation.

“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeyemi to get this far. The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

NDC Demands Gbajabiamila’s Removal

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the immediate removal of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, citing allegations linking him to the controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the opposition party questioned claims that the agency, despite being declared non-existent by the Presidency, allegedly received allocations in the 2026 budget and operated multiple accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, including a domiciliary account, a Pounds Sterling account and a Treasury Single Account.

The party also queried reports that the Head of the Civil Service allegedly approved 314 staff positions for the agency despite its disputed status.

The NDC further referenced allegations by Adeyemi that he secured his appointment after allegedly paying N600 million, with N400 million reportedly paid through intermediaries and N200 million still outstanding. It also cited claims that Gbajabiamila allegedly demanded 48 per cent of the agency’s reported take-off grant, allegations that reportedly caused a dispute between both men.

Describing the allegations as serious, the party called for an independent investigation into the agency’s operations, alleged budgetary allocations, financial accounts, staff approvals and related transactions.

It also urged authorities to investigate the death of Babatunde Tanimola, who was alleged to have acted as an intermediary between Adeyemi and the Chief of Staff, as well as claims by Adeyemi that there had been attempts on his life.

The NDC called on the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a comprehensive investigation, insisting that anyone found culpable should face the law.

Arewa Think Tank Dismisses Allegations

Also reacting, the Arewa Think Tank described the allegations against Gbajabiamila as a politically motivated campaign aimed at discrediting President Bola Tinubu’s allies ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking with journalists, the group’s Convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, alleged that “fifth columnists” were behind the claims and accused political opponents of attempting to weaken the President’s support base.

He urged President Tinubu not to allow what he described as blackmail to influence appointments or political decisions.

Yakubu welcomed the Presidency’s clarification that the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency and that Gbajabiamila neither authorised appointments nor issued official correspondence on behalf of the organisation.

He also dismissed reports suggesting the Chief of Staff was facing removal from office, urging Nigerians to rely on verified information rather than what he described as propaganda circulating on social media.

The group called on political actors to avoid spreading unsubstantiated allegations capable of undermining public confidence in democratic institutions.