• President gives ICPC 30 days to unravel alleged fraud, identify collaborators
• Senate says controversy belongs to executive, insists no petition before it
• Police launch manhunt for Adeyemi, question father in Ogbomoso
• Oyo police say Force CID, Abuja, handling investigation
• Atiku condemns arrest of Adeyemi’s father, alleges abuse of power
• Yoruba Ronu faults N10b suit as Chief of Staff issues 72-hour ultimatum
• Babachir blames SGF’s office for alleged failure to detect fake agency

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate a fictitious body operating as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), and has given the anti-graft agency 30 days to unravel the alleged fraud and submit a comprehensive report.

The directive was conveyed yesterday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal, constitutional or executive basis.

According to Onanuga, the investigation followed the discovery that one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew allegedly masqueraded as the Director-General of the non-existent council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

The presidential spokesman said Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the alleged use of forged appointment letters and other official government documents, as well as claims that the fake presidential appointment was used to seek official recognition, diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, and open multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies.

Beyond the principal suspect, the President instructed the commission to identify and investigate all collaborators and determine how the fictitious organisation acquired the appearance of official legitimacy.

The probe, Onanuga said, will examine the origin and use of forged official documents, the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained, the opening and operation of related bank accounts, the source and movement of funds, and the role of any public official, financial institution, intermediary or private individual that may have facilitated or participated in the alleged scheme.

Tinubu also directed the commission to identify institutional and procedural loopholes that may have been exploited and recommend immediate reforms to prevent a recurrence.

To ensure a speedy investigation, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been instructed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant records, documents and any other assistance required to conclude the probe within the stipulated period.

Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of public institutions, the President stressed that the Presidency and institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity, and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.

He further directed that anyone found culpable at the conclusion of the investigation should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Senate distances self from PFIPC controversy, says no petition before it
THIS came as the Senate distanced itself from the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, saying it has received no petition on the matter to warrant legislative intervention.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, stated this yesterday while responding to journalists’ questions after plenary.

The controversy, which has dominated public discourse in recent weeks, involves the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, and the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.

While the Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency, Adeyemi has insisted that the council is legitimate, alleging that Gbajabiamila collected N400 million from him to facilitate his appointment and later demanded 48 per cent of the N1.3 billion allegedly appropriated for the agency in the 2026 budget.

Adaramodu said the allegations and counter-allegations were matters within the executive arm of government and should be resolved there.

He also dismissed suggestions that the National Assembly created or inserted the budgetary provision being referenced.

“It is also not the responsibility of the Senate or the House of Representatives to conduct security or background checks on those appointed to head Ministries, Departments and Agencies,” he said.

According to him, if the alleged Director-General had been a presidential nominee requiring Senate confirmation, the upper chamber might have had a basis to be directly involved.

Adaramodu added that the matter had already become the subject of litigation, making it inappropriate for the Senate to comment further in line with parliamentary practice.

He, however, said, “If any of the feuding parties or any concerned Nigerian forwards a petition to the Senate on the existence or non-existence of the agency or its Director-General, the matter will be considered through the appropriate legislative process.”

Police launch manhunt for alleged PFIPC promoter, question parents in Ogbomoso
MEANWHILE, the Nigeria Police Force has launched a manhunt for Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

According to a police source, a team of officers visited the home of Adeyemi’s parents in Ogbomoso last Wednesday and again on Monday.

Police spokesperson Anietie Iniedu did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comments.

However, the source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to journalists, said Adeyemi’s parents told the police that he spent Monday and Tuesday in his hometown before leaving for Abuja on Wednesday. According to the source, the officers arrived a few hours after Adeyemi had left.

The officers who visited the family home last Wednesday briefly confiscated the parents’ phones.

Also, the Oyo State Police Command has clarified that it is not handling the investigation involving the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, stating that the matter is being investigated by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The command said the case is of national interest and falls outside its jurisdiction.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, made the clarification while responding to enquiries about the alleged arrest of the father of Adeyemi Adeniyi, the purported Director-General of the council, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

Ayanlade urged journalists and members of the public seeking updates on the matter to direct their enquiries to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Atiku condemns arrest of Adeyemi’s father, alleges abuse of power
THE presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the arrest of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi’s father.

In a post on X by his media aide, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President described the arrest as an abuse of power.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, had on Monday alleged that police operatives arrested the father of Adeyemi, the central figure in the ongoing forgery investigation linked to the purported council.

Reacting, Atiku said there is no provision in Nigerian law for substituted arrest, questioning the offence allegedly committed by Adeyemi’s father in relation to the controversy.

“It is an overreach, an abuse of power. Why did they allow Prince Adeyemi to sneak away and are now flexing their powers by arresting the father in his stead?” he asked.

He accused the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of focusing on minor issues while ignoring more important ones, and demanded the immediate release of the man.

Yoruba Ronu faults Gbajabiamila’s N10b defamation suit
A South-West socio-cultural group, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, yesterday faulted the N10 billion defamation suit instituted by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linked to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, describing the action as a pre-emptive move aimed at frustrating an independent investigation.

In a statement signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the forum said: “Following the disturbing allegations of bribery and kickbacks levelled against Gbajabiamila, and the government’s avowed commitment to establishing the truth, we are shocked that the Chief of Staff has chosen to threaten defamation suits rather than cooperate fully with efforts to get to the bottom of the matter.”

The forum said it was not opposed to any citizen, including Gbajabiamila, seeking legal redress. However, it questioned the basis of the suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of the PFIPC.

“We fail to see how a defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi can be sustained when security agents have arrested his father in Ogbomoso, Adeyemi himself has been arraigned by the government, and Gbajabiamila continues to feign ignorance of the ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS),” the statement said.

The group also criticised the Presidency, alleging that it appeared to be shielding the Chief of Staff from stepping aside to face both the civil suit and the criminal investigations.

“We must sound a clear warning: shielding an accused member of the Presidency is dangerous in the eyes of Nigerians and the Yoruba race.

“As leaders of thought in the South-West, we view any attempt to protect Gbajabiamila from resigning as a stain on the Yoruba race and on President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The criminal allegations in question are not matters any responsible government should condone. On the issue of Femi Gbajabiamila’s resignation, we stand firm,” the forum stated.

Gbajabiamila has given Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi 72 hours to retract the alleged defamatory claims made against him during a press conference on June 25, 2026, or face civil and criminal legal action.

The ultimatum was issued through Gbajabiamila’s legal counsel, Pinheiro LP, in a cease-and-desist letter dated July 6, 2026, and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro.

The letter described Adeyemi’s allegations as false, malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation.

The letter warned that failure to comply within 72 hours would trigger both civil and criminal proceedings.

According to the law firm, the civil suit would seek N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages to be paid to charities of Gbajabiamila’s choice, a perpetual injunction against further publications, and a court order compelling a retraction and apology.

Babachir faults SGF’s office over alleged failure to detect fake agency
FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has faulted the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation over its alleged failure to detect and stop documents relating to the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the Presidency has described as a non-existent agency.

Lawal said the SGF’s office should have identified the alleged fake agency long before its documents reached President Bola Tinubu, arguing that proper due diligence would have exposed the irregularity at an early stage.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Lawal reacted to the controversy surrounding the PFIPC following allegations linking its promoter, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to bribery involving senior government officials.

According to the former SGF, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation serves as the clearing-house for federal government agencies and is expected to verify the legal status of any institution seeking official recognition.

He argued that if the PFIPC was indeed not legally established, its documents should never have progressed through the government’s administrative process.

“If an agency is received, processed and forwarded without somebody in the SGF’s office asking exactly who these people are, then there is a dereliction of duty,” Lawal said.

He explained that the SGF’s office keeps records of all legally recognised ministries, departments and agencies and should ordinarily confirm the existence of any organisation claiming federal status before forwarding its requests to the President.

Lawal further outlined the procedure for establishing federal agencies, noting that proposals are initiated by the President or a supervising minister, considered by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and, where necessary, backed by legislation before such agencies become legally recognised.

He maintained that these procedures make it difficult for a non-existent agency to gain official recognition unless there were serious institutional failures.

The former SGF also questioned how the alleged agency reportedly secured a government budget code and passed through the federal budgeting process despite claims that it had no legal backing.

Describing the development as evidence of institutional compromise, Lawal suggested that more individuals might have been involved in facilitating the process.

According to him, every ministry, department and agency is required to defend its budget before the Budget Office of the Federation, making it unlikely that a non-existent organisation could obtain budgetary recognition without insider collaboration.

He also queried who approved the budget code for the alleged agency and how its proposal progressed through official channels before reaching the National Assembly.