By Eshioromeh Sebastian
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate a fraudulent body that allegedly operated under the guise of a presidential initiative, directing that a full report be submitted within 30 days.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the so-called “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal basis, presidential approval, or executive instrument backing its existence.
The statement identified one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as the individual who reportedly presented himself as the Director-General of the fictitious council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.
President Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to investigate not only the prime suspect and his collaborators but also the broader circumstances that may have allowed a fake entity to gain an appearance of official legitimacy.
The probe is expected to examine forged appointment letters and other official documents, the use of false presidential claims to secure diplomatic support including visa facilitation, and the opening of multiple bank accounts using allegedly forged documentation.
The President also ordered the ICPC to trace the source and movement of any funds linked to the scheme and to determine the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, or intermediary that may have facilitated the alleged fraud.
Furthermore, the Commission has been tasked with identifying weaknesses in government procedures that may have been exploited and recommending measures to prevent similar abuses in the future.
The statement revealed that investigations had already uncovered significant details about the operation. Adeyemi reportedly held meetings with diplomats without reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had written to the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff on October 15, 2025, seeking clarification on Adeyemi’s status, according to the statement.
Adeyemi was said to have obtained provisional self-accounting status from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on May 27, 2025, and had at least three civil servants deployed to the agency from the OAGF in August 2025. However, the Office of the Accountant-General has reportedly clarified that no operational CBN account was successfully activated and no public funds were released, despite a budget allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The Office of the Chief of Staff had petitioned the Department of State Services and the Police on October 17, 2025, following concerns raised by officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission about another body operating alongside them. Adeyemi was arrested on October 27, 2025, at his Federal Secretariat office.
Police investigations reportedly uncovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious organisations. An eight-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence was filed on November 27, 2025, with the case scheduled for hearing on July 27, 2026.
President Tinubu directed that all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with the law, adding that the integrity of the Presidency and Federal Government institutions must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity, and exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.
All Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have been directed to provide the ICPC with all relevant information and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.
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