The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has taken a new turn after police arrested the father of embattled promoter Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi and a family friend in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. The development came as the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) clarified that the disputed council never operated a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account and received no government funds despite its allocation in the 2026 budget.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) disclosed that police officers stormed the residence of Adeyemi’s parents and arrested his father along with a family friend who was visiting the family. According to Falana, there is no legal basis for arresting relatives of a suspect. He questioned the action, arguing that Adeyemi had already indicated his willingness to appear before the court, making the arrest of his father unnecessary.
Residents in the area said security operatives arrived in four vehicles before taking Adeyemi’s father away. One witness claimed officers prevented neighbours from intervening during the operation, while another said Adeyemi’s mother was left traumatised after the arrests.
The PFIPC investigation centres on allegations that Adeyemi created and operated a fictitious presidential agency while presenting himself as its Director-General. He is currently facing charges of forgery, impersonation and related offences before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Reacting to enquiries, Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja. He advised journalists and members of the public seeking updates on the alleged arrests or other developments to contact the Force Public Relations Officer or the FCID liaison office for official information.
In a separate development, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation contradicted claims that the council successfully opened a Central Bank account. Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, explained that although an application to open an account was initiated after Adeyemi presented what was described as an appointment letter linked to an existing government agency, the process was never completed.
According to Mokwa, the required authorised signatories were never submitted, preventing the account from becoming operational. He stated that no government allocation was paid because no active account existed. Mokwa further clarified that the presence of the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act did not automatically qualify it to receive public funds.
Addressing reports that staff members had been employed and paid salaries, the OAGF insisted that no such payments were made. Mokwa explained that government agencies cannot recruit staff or process salaries without obtaining approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office and the Federal Civil Service Commission before workers are enrolled on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
According to him, none of these statutory requirements was fulfilled by the council. He also disclosed that personnel deployed from the OAGF to the council would now serve as prosecution witnesses in the ongoing PFIPC investigation.
The Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was allocated ₦1,302,978,784 in the Federal Government’s 2026 Appropriation Act. The allocation included: ₦802,978,783 for personnel costs, ₦200,000,001 for overhead expenditure, ₦300,000,000 for capital projects
The inclusion of the council in the federal budget has intensified scrutiny after the Presidency maintained that the agency was never legally established.
According to the Presidency, concerns first emerged in October 2025 after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) reportedly discovered that the council was performing functions similar to those of an existing government agency. The Office of the Chief of Staff subsequently petitioned security agencies over alleged forged appointment letters and official documents.
The controversy has since expanded beyond the criminal charges against Adeyemi to wider concerns over Nigeria’s budgeting and administrative oversight. Opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC investigation and the council’s inclusion in the 2026 federal budget.
