President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to carry out a full investigation into the activities of a fictitious body known as the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council,” PFIPC.
In a State House press release issued on Tuesday, by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said the probe must be concluded and a comprehensive report submitted within 30 days.
The directive follows the discovery that the so-called PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful act of government.
According to the Presidency, one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the purported council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.
On the scope of the investigation, the President mandated the ICPC to examine several key areas, including: the issuance and use of fake appointment letters and other official government documents bearing the name of the PFIPC, the use of false claims of presidential appointment to seek official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation as well as the opening and operation of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.
Beyond the principal suspect, the President also directed the Commission to investigate all collaborators and the wider circumstances that allowed a non-existent body and a false claim of appointment to acquire the appearance of official legitimacy.
Specifically, the ICPC is to trace the provenance and use of false documents, review the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been obtained, audit related bank accounts and the movement of funds, and determine the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, or intermediary who facilitated the scheme.
In addition to identifying culprits, President Tinubu asked the ICPC to identify weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited, and to recommend immediate measures to prevent a recurrence.
All Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of the Federal Government have been ordered to provide the Commission, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.
“The integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service,” the President stated.
He further directed that “all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with applicable law.”
The PFIPC case is the latest in a series of incidents where fraudsters have allegedly used the name of the Presidency to solicit favors and open accounts. The 30-day deadline puts pressure on the ICPC to deliver findings before August 2026.
