The Office of President of Nigeria has called on the country’s security and anti-graft agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute officials who collaborated with alleged con artist Matthew Adeniyi Adeyemi to run two fictitious federal government bodies.
In a statement on X, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said dismantling the internal network that enabled Adeyemi’s scheme was now the priority for investigators.
The agencies tasked are the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Adeyemi is accused of fabricating the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” and “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” using forged documents purportedly linked to the Presidency.
The Presidency described both organisations as non-existent and said Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, had no authorisation or connection with Adeyemi’s activities.
Ajayi said public debate had ignored that government institutions first detected the fraud. Officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, flagged inconsistencies and reported the matter.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively,” he wrote.
He described Adeyemi as “an irredeemable con artist” using allegations against the Chief of Staff as “his last straw” to evade liability. He added that corruption accusations were often deployed in Nigeria to “pollute the water” and distract from facts.
The Presidency said Adeyemi’s ability to operate for so long indicated assistance from within public institutions.
“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeyemi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel,” Ajayi said. “The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) called for Gbajabiamila’s immediate removal to allow an independent investigation. National Publicity Secretary Osa Director cited Adeyemi’s claims that the purported PFIPC received budgetary allocations in the 2026 Appropriation Act and operated CBN accounts, including domiciliary, pounds sterling and Treasury Single Accounts.
The NDC also referenced allegations that Adeyemi paid N600 million to secure an appointment through the Chief of Staff, and that Gbajabiamila demanded 48% of a N27.4 billion take-off grant. It urged probes into the death of Babatunde Tanimola, said to be an intermediary, and reported attempts on Adeyemi’s life.
The Arewa Think Tank dismissed the allegations as a “calculated campaign” by “fifth columnists” to discredit the President’s allies ahead of 2027. Convener Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu urged President Bola Tinubu not to succumb to “political blackmail”.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga also said PFIPC is not a recognised government agency and that Gbajabiamila does not issue appointments for such bodies. The Presidency described speculation about the Chief of Staff’s removal as false.
Investigations by the DSS, Police and EFCC are ongoing.