Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Presidency has exposed the elaborate criminal scheme of a man who falsely paraded himself as the Director-General of a non-existent government agency, forged an appointment letter from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and operated 34 bank accounts under fictitious government agency names. The suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, also known as Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing an eight-count criminal charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The Presidency revealed that Adeyemi had been parading himself as the Director-General of a body called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation that the government insists does not exist. He was arrested by the police on October 27, 2025, at his office in the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, following a formal petition by Gbajabiamila to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation into what he described as an elaborate forgery and impersonation scheme.
In his petition, Gbajabiamila detailed the extent of the fraud, stating that forged appointment letters bearing falsified signatures, reference numbers, and seals had been used to claim leadership of non-existent entities, with particular reference to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The fake documents were used to hold meetings with foreigners and Nigerian citizens, and the perpetrators even went as far as requesting a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for some of their staff. Gbajabiamila wrote: "The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the Presidency and the credibility of official government communication."
The police investigation, conducted by Assistant Commissioner Kabir Mogaji, uncovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, nine of which were opened in the names of fictitious agencies, including the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Public Private Partnership. He also fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by deceiving the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation using forged government documents. The Presidency clarified that no government money had been transferred into the CBN account.
Beyond financial fraud, Adeyemi compromised national integrity by hosting meetings with unsuspecting diplomats and citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs grew suspicious in October 2025 after Adeyemi hosted ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Asokoro without following established diplomatic protocols. This prompted inquiries from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Concerns about Adeyemi's activities had earlier been raised by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, which noticed that another agency appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.
The Nigeria Police Force filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two accomplices, identified only as Femi and Anu, who are currently at large, at the Federal High Court on November 27, 2025, under a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/2025. The defendants are accused of conspiracy to commit forgery, forgery of presidential appointment documents, forgery of official State House letterheads, forgery of requests for office accommodation and collaboration with government ministries, impersonation as Director-General of the purported council, and forgery of additional official correspondence intended to give legitimacy to the fictitious organisation. Count Two of the charge states: "That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, forged an appointment letter purported to have been issued by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila."
The Presidency said Adeyemi had been on police bail when he recently resurfaced with a fresh claim that Gbajabiamila had appointed him as Director-General of the same fictitious agency, a claim that contradicted his own statement to the police made in November 2024 and prompted the Chief of Staff to issue a public disclaimer on June 8, 2026. He is due in court on July 27, 2026. The Presidency also recalled that Adeyemi had made similar claims in 2016, falsely presenting himself as a United Nations-affiliated ambassador until the global body publicly debunked his existence.
Adding to the controversy, recent reports have indicated that the purported council appeared in the 2026 Appropriation records with an alleged budget allocation exceeding ₦1 billion. This anomaly has sparked widespread outrage, with the Coalition for Truth and Justice calling for an immediate investigation into how a fictitious entity found its way into government budget documents. The Presidency has warned the public and politicians against weaponizing Adeyemi's claims to attack the Chief of Staff, stating that the matter is sub judice. Citizens are advised to await the court's verdict, as the government continues its efforts to root out the network that facilitated this elaborate forgery.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments