The Presidency has come under renewed scrutiny over the activities of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is currently facing trial over allegations of operating a fictitious government agency, forging official documents and impersonating a senior government official. The Federal Government has charged Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja on eight counts, including conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
In a detailed statement, the Presidency said Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter bearing the purported signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. It explained that Gbajabiamila petitioned security agencies in October 2025 after discovering the alleged forgery and impersonation.
According to the Presidency, police investigations revealed that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including several opened in the names of fictitious government agencies. Investigators also alleged that he fraudulently secured a Central Bank of Nigeria account using forged government documents and hosted meetings with foreign diplomats without official authorisation. The Presidency, however, maintained that no government funds were paid into the CBN account.
The police also recovered forged appointment letters, official letterheads and other documents during searches of Adeyemi’s office and residence. Investigators further alleged that he sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain visas for supposed staff members of the fake agency. Adeyemi is expected to appear in court again on July 27, 2026.
The Presidency noted that Adeyemi had a history of similar conduct, recalling that in 2016 he falsely claimed to head an organisation allegedly affiliated with the United Nations before the UN denied the existence of such a body. It urged politicians and members of the public not to use the ongoing criminal case to attack the Chief of Staff, insisting that the matter should be left to the courts.
Reacting to the controversy, senior lawyer Femi Falana said the Presidency lacked the constitutional authority to clear anyone involved in the matter. He called for an independent investigation by anti-corruption agencies into both Adeyemi and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, questioning how an allegedly non-existent agency appeared to have a budget allocation and a Central Bank account.
Adeyemi, however, rejected the Presidency’s account, accusing Gbajabiamila of making contradictory statements about the agency’s existence. He alleged that the Chief of Staff demanded hundreds of millions of naira and a share of the agency’s take-off grant in exchange for his appointment, claims the Presidency has consistently denied.
Adeyemi further called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine the disputed agency, its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act, the circumstances surrounding the death of one of his associates, and other issues linked to the case. He also demanded that Gbajabiamila step aside while investigations are conducted, even as the Presidency reiterated that the agency never existed under the current administration.
