The Presidency has directed the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to identify and prosecute officials allegedly involved in helping Prince Matthew Adeniyi operate the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
In a statement posted on X, presidential media aide Temitope Ajayi alleged that Adeniyi was aided by insiders who enabled him to forge presidential appointment letters, operate 34 bank accounts in the names of fictitious government agencies, host foreign diplomats and even open a Central Bank of Nigeria account while posing as the agency’s director-general.
Ajayi described Adeniyi as an “irredeemable con artist” and accused him of attempting to implicate the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, in what he called a multi-billion-naira fraud.
According to him, investigators should uncover and dismantle the internal criminal network that allegedly facilitated the scheme, adding that all those found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted.
Ajayi also argued that government institutions eventually detected the alleged fraud after concerns were reportedly raised by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The controversy follows an earlier statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who said Adeniyi had already been charged with multiple criminal offences, including forgery and impersonation.
However, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for an independent investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, arguing that the Presidency cannot unilaterally clear any individual in the matter.
Falana also demanded explanations over reports that about ₦24 billion was budgeted for the alleged agency and how it reportedly succeeded in opening a CBN account.
Adeniyi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court of Nigeria on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects who remain at large.
