PFIPC Probe: Reps panel releases interim report, uncovers 58 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi, clears Gbajabiamila

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the purported establishment of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) says it has uncovered an elaborate scheme involving the alleged forgery of presidential documents, mutilation of an Act of the National Assembly and the unauthorised use of the names and identities of senior government officials to give legitimacy to the agency.

It also said that about 39 people were presented or represented as employees of the organisation. At the same time, approximately 58 bank accounts were linked through the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other identifying details associated with Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the council’s director-general.

The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi (APC Plateau), disclosed these while presenting its preliminary findings on Wednesday in Abuja

The committee presented the report after weeks of investigations into how the organisation operated within the federal bureaucracy despite the government’s position that it was never legally established.

The findings are a sequel to concerns about the processes by which a purported government agency was able to secure a place in the 2026 Appropriation Act, occupy an office within the Federal Secretariat, obtain official-looking number plates, and establish relationships with several government institutions.

The committee said its findings were based on oral testimony, documentary evidence, financial records and submissions received from government institutions, private organisations, purported employees and alleged victims.

It stressed that the findings were preliminary and did not constitute the committee’s final report or the final decision of the House.

No law established PFIPC

The committee said it found no valid Act of the National Assembly, gazetted enactment, presidential executive order, administrative instrument or other lawful authority establishing the PFIPC.

It said none of the government institutions that appeared before it could produce an authentic record showing that the organisation was created, approved or authorised by President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Executive Council, the National Assembly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or any other competent authority.

The committee also noted that the organisation operated under different names, including the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

“These inconsistencies, when considered alongside the documentary evidence before the committee, substantially undermine any assertion that the entity possessed lawful governmental status,” it said.

The investigation followed the House’s adoption of a motion sponsored by Mr Gagdi on 8 July, after lawmakers raised concerns about the inclusion of the purported council in the 2026 federal budget.

A review of the 2026 Appropriation Act had shown an allocation of about ₦1.3 billion to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council under the Presidency. 

The committee was also mandated to investigate a reported ₦27.4 billion take-off grant allegedly associated with the council.

However, the preliminary findings indicated that the committee was still determining whether any appropriation, warrant, cash backing, or actual financial release was made in favour of the purported council.

Forged appointment letter

One of the most significant findings concerned a document that Mr Adeyemi used to present himself as the director-general of the organisation.

The committee said the document purported to show that the Presidency had appointed Mr Adeyemi and bore the authority and signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

However, evidence from the State House, according to the committee, established that no such appointment was made or approved by the Presidency.

The Chief of Staff, it said, neither issued nor signed the letter.

The committee further found that the letterhead was not authentic State House letterhead, that its purported reference number was inconsistent with the State House’s official referencing system, and that its format, language, and administrative features differed materially from official correspondence.

“The committee therefore preliminarily finds that the purported appointment letter was fabricated and falsely attributed to the Presidency.

“Such conduct, if established through the applicable criminal process, would constitute a grave assault on the integrity of the Office of the President and the official identity of the federal government,” Mr Gadgi said.

PREMIUM TIMES had previously reported that the House claimed the appointment letter was fake after former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, appeared before the committee. 

Purported executive order is also fake

The committee said it also examined a document described as “Presidential Executive Order No. 5 of 24 February 2026,” which was presented as the legal authority for establishing or operating the organisation.

According to Mr Gagdi, evidence before them indicated that the document was neither issued nor approved through the lawful processes of the Presidency.

“The evidence presently available indicates that the document was not an authentic Executive Order of the President and was neither issued nor approved through the lawful processes of the Presidency,” he said.

It described the alleged fabrication of an instrument presented as an executive order as particularly serious because such an instrument carries the authority of the president.

The committee said any attempt to manufacture an executive order to obtain official recognition, financial advantage or public confidence amounted to an attack on the integrity of executive authority.

Purported Act of Parliament allegedly mutilated

The committee said it also uncovered a document presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing the purported organisation.

It said that either chamber of the National Assembly never passed the document, it was not assented to by the president, and it was not gazetted as an Act of the Federation.

It further said the document did not conform with the numbering, certification and publication characteristics of authentic Acts of Parliament.

More seriously, according to the committee, portions of an existing instrument relating to another institution appeared to have been electronically altered, mutilated or substituted to create the impression that Parliament had enacted legislation establishing the PFIPC or PEAC.

Forged letter used to obtain the government code

The investigation also uncovered a letter dated 7 November 2024, purportedly written by the State House to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), requesting the creation or issuance of an administrative code for the PFIPC.

The letter was allegedly signed by one Akambi Adewale, described as a director of Administration and Support Services for the permanent secretary.

However, the State House, according to the committee, found that the office cited in the letter did not exist in the form stated.

It also found that no State House officer known as Mr Adewale served in the purported capacity and that the letter was neither issued nor authorised by the State House.

The committee said fictitious names, offices and designations appeared to have been used to mislead a key financial institution of the federal government.

The issue had previously featured prominently in the committee’s investigation after lawmakers questioned how a response from the Accountant-General’s office to a purported State House request ended up in Mr Adeyemi’s possession.

Accountant-General’s office to be probed 

While the committee found evidence of forgery, it also turned its attention to the government institutions that acted on documents presented by the purported agency.

The OAGF confirmed that its response to the purported State House request was an authentic communication from the office.

However, officials acknowledged that the response should not have been released to Mr Adeyemi or another unauthorised person and ought to have been transmitted through an authenticated official channel.

The committee described this as a serious administrative and security lapse.

It said it was investigating whether the failure resulted from negligence, inadequate verification, disregard for established procedures or deliberate facilitation.

“No officer will be condemned without a fair hearing. Equally, no proven breach of public duty will be overlooked,” the committee said.

Fake agency occupied federal office

The committee also found that the purported agency occupied office space within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja without lawful allocation from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

According to the preliminary findings, part of accommodation previously allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was subsequently made available to the purported organisation by some officials.

The committee said that having an office within the Federal Secretariat was significant because it strengthened the organisation’s ability to present itself to the public and government institutions as a legitimate federal agency.

“The committee is therefore determining the identity, authority and responsibility of every officer connected with the unauthorised transfer or occupation of that accommodation,” Mr Gagdi said.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the purported council secured an office within the Federal Secretariat despite the government’s position that it did not legally exist. 

Seven official number plates

The investigation also found that the organisation obtained official-looking number plates for its vehicles.

The committee said misleading or fabricated documents were presented to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), leading to the processing or approval of special number plates.

The FRSC had earlier admitted before the House panel that it issued seven official number plates to the purported council after relying on documents presented by the organisation, information on its website, and its claimed office address. 

The registered vehicles included a 2024 bulletproof Lexus LX, two Toyota Land Cruiser sport utility vehicles and four Toyota Hilux vehicles, which received registration numbers PFIPC 01 to PFIPC 07 after verification of their chassis numbers.

The committee said it was examining the applications and approvals to establish the roles of everyone involved.

About 39 people presented as staff

The purported agency also had a workforce.

According to the preliminary findings, about 39 people were paraded or represented as employees across junior, intermediate and senior cadres.

The committee said it was investigating how the workers were recruited, who issued their appointment letters and identity cards, whether they received salaries or allowances and whether any of them were required to pay money as a condition for employment.

It said it would distinguish between people who were themselves victims of the alleged deception and those who knowingly participated in or benefited from the organisation’s activities.

“The committee will distinguish between innocent persons who may themselves have been deceived and persons who knowingly participated in, facilitated or benefited from the activities under investigation,” it said.

58 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi

The committee also uncovered a network of bank accounts and associated organisations.

It said information from financial and investigative institutions showed that the BVN and other identifying details associated with Mr Adeyemi, who is also referred to in some records as Adeyemi Matthew, were linked to approximately 58 bank accounts.

More than 30 of the accounts were apparently operated in the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations or related entities, while others were operated in personal or variant names.

The organisations named by the committee include the Confederation of United Nations Youths, FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership, FCT Investment Promotion Council and Public-Private Partnership, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, United Nations Youth Global Agency, United Nations Youth Global Foundation, World United Nations Youth Global Foundation and World Entrepreneurship University Limited.

Others include World Enterprise University Limited, the FCT Investment Promotion Act, the FCT Promotion Agency, and the Olubadan of Ibadan Foundation.

The committee cautioned that it had not concluded that every account or entity identified was unlawful.

It said it was reconciling registration documents, beneficial ownership information, account mandates, signatories and transaction histories to determine the true nature and control of the accounts.

The finding comes days after PREMIUM TIMES reported an ICPC investigation which found that Mr Adeyemi allegedly created other fictitious agencies and used variants of forged legislative documents to open bank accounts in their names. 

₦400m alleged fraud

The committee also received complaints from individuals and companies who said they were deceived by representations that PFIPC was a legitimate federal institution.

The most prominent allegation involves about ₦400 million allegedly paid by a businessman, Gbenga Collins, to Mr Adeyemi.

Mr Collins previously told the committee that he paid the money after Mr Adeyemi offered his company a government contract to renovate and furnish an official residence.

He said he paid the money in five instalments between May and July 2025.

Four payments totalling ₦380 million were made into an account belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited, while the final ₦20 million was paid into an Access Bank account belonging to Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services. 

Mr Collins said he believed Mr Adeyemi was a legitimate government official because of his office at the Federal Secretariat, vehicles bearing government number plates and the people he encountered there.

The committee said it was tracing the destinations of the money, identifying account holders and beneficial owners and determining whether any public officer participated in or benefited from the transaction.

The development is significant because the ICPC had separately recorded a different account of the ₦400 million transaction.

In its interim investigation, Mr Adeyemi reportedly told the commission that the money was a loan obtained from Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited for personal engagements and the running of his office. The company’s owner, however, later told the House committee that he paid the money after Mr Adeyemi represented himself as a legitimate federal official and offered a government contract. 

The conflicting accounts are now part of the committee’s continuing investigation.

Gbajabiamila cleared by preliminary evidence

The committee also addressed allegations previously made by Mr Adeyemi against Mr Gbajabiamila.

Mr Adeyemi had alleged that the Chief of Staff demanded a percentage of a reported ₦27.3 billion take-off grant and that ₦400 million had been paid through a proxy.

Mr Gbajabiamila denied the allegations and subsequently filed a ₦15 billion defamation suit against Mr Adeyemi. 

The committee said its evidence did not establish that Mr Gbajabiamila authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation.

Rather, it said documents before it showed that the Chief of Staff took steps to alert security and investigative agencies after concerns about the organisation were brought to his attention.

According to the committee, Mr Gbajabiamila communicated with the police, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, and the EFCC after receiving an alert from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission regarding suspected fraudulent activities and the misuse of institutional materials.

It therefore preliminarily commended him for what it described as timely security and administrative interventions.

The ICPC had similarly reported that it found no evidence linking Mr Gbajabiamila to Mr Adeyemi’s appointment, saying the appointment letter attributed to the Chief of Staff was forged. 

Security agencies asked to conclude probe

The House committee commended the Nigeria Police Force, SSS, EFCC, ICPC and the Office of the National Security Adviser for their contributions to the investigation.

It said the agencies helped trace forged documents, financial accounts, related entities and persons connected with the purported organisation.

The committee urged the agencies to conclude their investigations, preserve evidence, trace suspected proceeds and prosecute anyone against whom sufficient admissible evidence is established.

Mr Adeyemi is already facing an eight-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations connected with the purported agency.

The police have accused him and two other persons, identified as Femi and Anu, who are said to be at large, of conspiracy and forgery. He is also accused of falsely presenting himself as the director-general of PFIPC. 

His arraignment has been repeatedly delayed, and a judge subsequently ordered his arrest after he failed to appear in court. The police later arrested him. The court fixed 30 September for his arraignment. 

Committee wants forensic examination of government systems

Beyond the alleged activities of Mr Adeyemi and the purported PFIPC, the House committee said the investigation had exposed weaknesses in the government’s internal controls.

These include failures to verify the legal existence of government agencies, to create administrative and budget codes, to authenticate official correspondence, to verify appointments attributed to the Presidency, to allocate federal office space, and to process official number plates.

The committee also identified weaknesses in the protection of government letterheads, signatures, and institutional identities; inter-agency information sharing; and compliance with parliamentary invitations.

It said the organisation could not have acquired its apparent legitimacy through forged documents alone without corresponding weaknesses within government institutions.

The committee therefore recommended stronger authentication procedures for new government institutions, administrative codes, budget codes and correspondence purportedly originating from the Presidency.

It also proposed a centralised digital platform through which the legal existence, establishing instrument and status of every federal ministry, department and agency can be independently verified.

What happens next?

The committee said its investigation is not yet concluded.

Among other things, it will reconcile the ownership structures of the entities linked to Mr Adeyemi, determine the exact number and control of the bank accounts, analyse transactions and identify beneficiaries.

It will also investigate the officials involved in the allocation of the Federal Secretariat office, the issuance of special number plates, and the processing of the PFIPC’s budgetary allocation.

The committee said it would identify the authors and beneficiaries of the allegedly forged documents and establish the source of the purported executive order and Act of Parliament.

It will also compile a verified list of alleged victims and financial losses and investigate the reported ₦400 million transaction.

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The committee said evidence capable of supporting criminal charges would be transmitted to the appropriate investigative and prosecutorial authorities.

It stressed, however, that criminal guilt can only be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The final report will be laid before the House for consideration, debate and possible adoption, amendment or rejection.

How the PFIPC scandal unfolded

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the purported agency penetrated several layers of government administration, including securing an office at the Federal Secretariat and obtaining official correspondence. A July investigation also identified at least 12 officials and government institutions that had questions to answer over how the organisation gained access to government systems. 

The scandal subsequently moved to the courts, with Mr Adeyemi facing forgery and impersonation charges, while the House opened its own investigation into how the organisation was able to operate within government structures. 

The ICPC also investigated the matter after President Tinubu directed it to probe the allegations. The commission later reported that it found no evidence linking Mr Gbajabiamila to Mr Adeyemi’s appointment and identified alleged forgery and institutional lapses surrounding the purported agency. 

More recently, the ICPC reported that its investigation had uncovered additional entities allegedly created by Mr Adeyemi, suggesting that the PFIPC case may form part of a wider network of organisations presented as government or government-linked bodies. 

The House committee’s preliminary findings now provide a broader picture of how the purported agency allegedly acquired the trappings of government authority and raise questions not only about those accused of creating or operating it, but also about the institutional safeguards that allowed it to penetrate parts of the federal bureaucracy.