The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two additional fake government agencies allegedly linked to Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the man accused of posing as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed the findings on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after presenting an interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, investigations confirmed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC had no legal status. He explained that the agency was neither established by an Act of the National Assembly nor created through an executive order.
The commission also found that the appointment letter allegedly used by Adeyemi was forged. Investigators said the fake council operated from offices previously occupied by the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), where members of the syndicate allegedly impersonated government officials and carried out fraudulent activities.
Further investigations uncovered two more fictitious agencies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. According to the ICPC, both organizations were created using forged legislative documents and were allegedly used to open bank accounts for illegal financial transactions.
Aliyu also revealed that Adeyemi later changed the agency’s name from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, allegedly to expand its operations and create the impression of a broader government mandate.
The ICPC stressed that no government funds were approved or released to the fake agency and stated that its investigation found no security lapses within the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) systems.
The anti-corruption agency has recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi, disciplinary action against public officials suspected of aiding the scheme, and stronger internal controls across government institutions to prevent similar incidents.
The interim report also identified officials from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as persons of interest in the ongoing investigation.
Aliyu said investigations are still ongoing and that additional findings could lead to more criminal charges against Adeyemi and anyone found to have collaborated with him.
He added that President Tinubu has been fully briefed on the investigation and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and strengthening public institutions.
