President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), giving the anti-graft agency 30 days to submit its findings.
The directive, announced by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, follows the discovery that the council was never legally established by the Federal Government despite presenting itself as an official government body.
According to the Presidency, the investigation will focus on forged appointment letters and official documents allegedly used by Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, who claimed to be the Director-General of the council and presented himself as a presidential appointee.
The probe will also examine allegations that the suspect used the false appointment to obtain official recognition, diplomatic support, visa facilitation, and open multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using forged documents.
President Tinubu further directed the ICPC to investigate how the fictitious body acquired the appearance of official legitimacy, identify weaknesses in government procedures that allowed the alleged scheme to thrive, and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been instructed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has released Adeyemi’s father after questioning him over his son’s whereabouts. The elderly man was arrested on Monday, a move that drew criticism from human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who described the action as unlawful and insisted that Adeyemi had consistently appeared in court and would attend the next hearing scheduled for July 27.
Also reacting to the controversy, the Senate said it could not intervene in the matter because no formal petition had been submitted to the National Assembly and the case is already before the courts.
Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu maintained that the legislature neither created the agency nor originated its budget allocation, adding that any legislative action would only follow the submission of a formal petition by interested parties or concerned Nigerians.
The controversy intensified after the discovery of a ₦1.3 billion allocation to the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite repeated claims by the Presidency that the council does not exist. Adeyemi is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
