The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two additional fake government agencies linked to Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the man who falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists after presenting the commission’s interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, investigations confirmed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was never legally established. He explained that the agency had no backing from any Act of the National Assembly or presidential executive order.
The ICPC also found that the appointment letter used by Adeyemi was forged. Investigators said the fake agency unlawfully occupied offices previously used by the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and used them to carry out illegal activities.
Aliyu said the group engaged in impersonation, false representation and other fraudulent activities by exploiting weaknesses in government verification processes and poor coordination among some public institutions.
The commission further uncovered two additional fictitious agencies allegedly created by Adeyemi. They are the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA).
According to the ICPC chairman, forged legislative documents were used to create the fake agencies and open bank accounts for their operations.
He also revealed that Adeyemi later changed the name of the fake organisation from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in a bid to expand its activities to include revenue generation.
Aliyu stressed that investigations found no evidence that any Federal Government funds were approved or released to the fake agency. He also said the commission found no security or procedural weaknesses in either the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The ICPC has recommended that Adeyemi be prosecuted, while disciplinary action should be taken against public officials whose actions or negligence allegedly enabled the fake agency to operate. It also called for reforms to strengthen internal controls across government institutions.
The commission said officials from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) were identified as collaborators in the scheme.
Aliyu noted that the investigation is still ongoing and described the report submitted to the President as an interim one.
He added that more findings are expected as investigators continue gathering evidence to file criminal charges against Adeyemi and anyone found to have worked with him.
According to the ICPC chairman, President Tinubu has been fully briefed on the findings and remains committed to ensuring transparency, accountability and justice in the case.
