The Presidency has called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intensify the PFIPC fraud investigation, directing the agencies to identify and prosecute those who allegedly collaborated with Prince Matthew Adeniyi in operating a fictitious presidential agency.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, made the position known in a post on his X account, alleging that internal collaborators within government institutions enabled Adeniyi’s activities.
According to Ajayi, investigators have been tasked with uncovering how Adeniyi allegedly forged presidential appointment letters, operated 34 bank accounts in the names of non-existent government agencies, hosted foreign diplomats and opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) while presenting himself as Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
He stated: “What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel.
“The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted.”
Ajayi described Adeniyi as an “irredeemable con artist,” accusing him of exploiting public perceptions about corruption to divert attention from the allegations against him. He also alleged that Adeniyi attempted to implicate the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in what he described as a multi-billion-naira fraudulent operation.
According to the presidential aide: “In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.”
He added that the ongoing PFIPC fraud investigation should focus on uncovering the institutional failures that allowed the alleged scheme to operate.
Ajayi maintained that despite concerns raised by critics, government institutions eventually detected the alleged fraud through internal processes.
He said officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified irregularities involving the purported agency and reported them to the appropriate authorities. According to him, the development demonstrated that existing government oversight mechanisms were capable of identifying and responding to such anomalies.
The Presidency had earlier issued a disclaimer on June 11, 2026, through Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, informing the public, foreign missions, financial institutions and development partners that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council had no official legal status and that no appointments had been made under its name.
On July 1, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Adeniyi had been facing an eight-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court since November 27, 2025.
He alleged that the suspect maintained 34 bank accounts linked to fictitious government agencies, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and relied on a forged appointment letter allegedly procured through an individual who later died in a hotel fire before Adeniyi’s arrest on October 27, 2025.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has challenged the Presidency’s position, arguing that it lacks the constitutional authority to exonerate anyone connected to the controversy. Falana called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to independently investigate both Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi.
He also demanded explanations regarding reports that ₦24 billion was allocated to the non-existent agency and how it allegedly succeeded in opening a CBN account. Adeniyi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects who remain at large, as the PFIPC fraud investigation continues.
