By Deborah Nnamdi
The Presidency has directed the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to identify and prosecute officials allegedly involved in aiding the operations of a fictitious presidential agency linked to Prince Matthew Adeniyi.
The directive was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, who accused Adeniyi of orchestrating a sophisticated fraud with the assistance of insiders within government institutions.
In a post shared on his X account, Ajayi described Adeniyi as an “irredeemable con artist” who was allegedly exploiting public perceptions of corruption by attempting to implicate the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in what he described as a multi-billion-naira fraudulent scheme.
According to Ajayi, investigators have been tasked with uncovering the network that allegedly enabled Adeniyi to forge presidential appointment letters, operate 34 bank accounts in the names of fictitious government agencies, host foreign ambassadors and open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria while posing as the Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
“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,” Ajayi stated, adding that all officials found to have played a role in the alleged fraud should be arrested and prosecuted.
He further argued that allegations of corruption are often used to divert attention from criminal investigations, accusing Adeniyi of attempting to shield himself from prosecution by dragging Gbajabiamila’s name into the controversy.
Ajayi also defended the government’s response, maintaining that it was officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who first detected irregularities involving the purported agency and reported the matter to the appropriate authorities.
He said the discovery demonstrated that government institutions were capable of identifying and responding to fraudulent activities within the system.
The Presidency had, on June 11, 2026, issued a public disclaimer through Gbajabiamila, stating that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council had no legal status and that no appointments had been made under its name.
Subsequently, the 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 and fraudulently opened a Central Bank account using forged documents.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana challenged the Presidency’s position, arguing that it lacked the constitutional authority to absolve any individual connected to the controversy.
Falana called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct an independent investigation into the roles of both Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi, while demanding explanations over reports that about ₦24 billion was allegedly budgeted for the non-existent agency and how it succeeded in opening an account with the Central Bank.
Adeniyi is expected to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects who remain at large.
