PFIPC Scandal: Presidency Asks DSS, EFCC to Unmask Officials Behind Alleged Fake Agency

The Presidency has called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies to uncover and prosecute all individuals allegedly involved in facilitating the operations of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting that the alleged fraud could not have been carried out without insider collaboration.

The call comes amid growing controversy surrounding Prince Matthew Adeniyi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, an organisation the Federal Government has repeatedly described as fictitious.

In a statement posted on his verified X account, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, alleged that internal collaborators within government institutions enabled Adeniyi to forge presidential appointment documents, open multiple bank accounts and operate the non-existent agency.

Ajayi further accused Adeniyi of attempting to shield himself from criminal prosecution by making corruption allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

According to him, the allegations against Gbajabiamila were part of a deliberate strategy to divert public attention from what he described as a multi-billion-naira fraud.

"What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel," Ajayi said.

"The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted."

Ajayi argued that allegations of corruption against public officials easily gain public attention in Nigeria, making them an effective distraction from criminal investigations.

He described Adeniyi as an "irredeemable con artist" who allegedly understood how to manipulate public perception by linking his case to a senior government official.

According to the presidential aide, the Chief of Staff became Adeniyi's "last straw" in what he described as an attempt to evade accountability.

Ajayi also maintained that contrary to claims of institutional failure, it was government agencies themselves that first detected irregularities surrounding the purported agency.

He said officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly raised concerns after noticing inconsistencies and subsequently alerted the appropriate authorities.

According to him, this demonstrated that existing institutional checks eventually identified the alleged fraud and triggered investigations.

Ajayi recalled that on June 11, 2026, the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, publicly distanced the Presidency from the PFIPC, issuing a formal disclaimer to foreign missions, financial institutions and international organisations.

The notice stated that the PFIPC had no legal status and that no presidential appointments had been made under its name.

The Presidency has consistently maintained that the organisation never existed as a recognised government agency.

Earlier Criminal Charges

The latest statement follows disclosures made earlier this week by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to Onanuga, Adeniyi was arraigned before the Federal High Court in November 2025 on an eight-count criminal charge.

He alleged that the suspect maintained 34 bank accounts in the names of fictitious government agencies and fraudulently opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria after allegedly deceiving officials in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Onanuga also claimed that a key witness believed to have facilitated the forged appointment documents died in a hotel fire days before Adeniyi's arrest in October 2025.

Falana Demands Independent Investigation

Despite the Presidency's position, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has argued that only an independent investigation can establish the full facts surrounding the controversy.

Falana questioned how a non-existent agency allegedly secured budgetary allocations reportedly running into billions of naira and succeeded in opening a Central Bank account.

He also maintained that the Presidency lacks the constitutional authority to exonerate any individual connected with the matter before investigations are concluded.

The senior lawyer has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to independently investigate both the allegations involving Gbajabiamila and the activities of Adeniyi.

Court Hearing Fixed

Adeniyi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, where he is expected to face trial alongside two other suspects who remain at large.

The case continues to generate public interest as investigators seek to establish how the alleged fake agency was able to operate within government circles before its activities were uncovered.