Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into how an alleged fictitious government agency was established within the presidency with about $950,000 allocated in the 2026 budget.
The probe will examine the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which Tinubu’s office said was never established by the Nigerian government and had no legal basis or presidential approval.
In a statement on Tuesday, the presidency said that the PFIPC was reportedly operated by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who presented himself as its director-general using forged documents. The agency obtained office space in Abuja, opened bank accounts, and held meetings with government officials and foreign representatives before the case emerged.
The Accountant-General’s Office, although the PFIPC appeared in the West African nation’s 2026 Appropriation Act with a 1.3-billion-naira fund allocation, it never received public funds or salaries and did not have an operational account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the case and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
“President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy,” his office stated.
Adeyemi has gone into hiding and police have launched a manhunt for him on suspicion of forgery, impersonation, and related offenses. He was previously arrested in October 2025 after security agencies began investigating suspected forged appointment documents linked to the purported PFIPC.
Adeyemi has denied the allegations, saying that the PFIPC was a legitimate agency established in 2024 to attract foreign investment and promote Nigeria as a destination for investors. He told local outlet Premium Times last Thursday that he was duly appointed to lead the council and had an appointment letter, but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing court case. Speaking from an undisclosed location, he said he was not safe and was taking precautions.
“You know the government we have. They are just playing a defense mechanism to shut me up. My organization was set up in 2024,” he said, according to Premium Times.
The scandal is the latest in a series of fraud and corruption cases in Nigeria, including several involving former government officials. Last week, the country’s anti-corruption agency arrested former Science and Technology Minister Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji on charges related to the alleged forgery of academic credentials, which he has denied.