The Presidency has dismissed claims linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the appointment of a purported Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, insisting that the suspect behind the alleged fraud will face trial.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who allegedly paraded himself as the Director-General of the fictitious council, was an impostor currently facing criminal prosecution over allegations of forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.
According to Onanuga, investigations into the alleged scam began after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission raised concerns over another agency performing functions similar to its mandate.
He disclosed that the Office of the Chief of Staff subsequently petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation into individuals allegedly forging appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.
The Presidency alleged that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, operating from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, where he reportedly held meetings with foreign diplomats and senior Nigerian officials.
He was also accused of seeking diplomatic backing, including obtaining a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visa applications for members of the purported council.
The statement described the activities as criminal, noting that they undermined the integrity of the Presidency and official government correspondence.
According to the Presidency, the petition to security agencies was accompanied by copies of the alleged forged appointment letter, requests made to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs obtained from the agency’s website.
Onanuga further revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier sought clarification from both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff after Adeyemi allegedly convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja on October 15, 2025, without the ministry’s knowledge.
The ministry reportedly described the action as a breach of established diplomatic procedures.
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation also requested clarification following enquiries from government agencies and non-governmental organisations over the status of the purported appointment.
The Chief of Staff, however, denied issuing any appointment letter to Adeyemi, stressing that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council did not exist and that appointments into government offices fall under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Police later arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at the office from where he allegedly operated the scheme.
Searches conducted at his office and residence in Suleja reportedly led to the recovery of several documents and exhibits linked to the alleged operation.
During interrogation, Adeyemi allegedly claimed that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola helped him obtain the forged appointment letter.
However, police investigations reportedly established that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
The Presidency said investigators concluded that the council was fictitious and that Adeyemi forged appointment documents, falsely presented himself as a government appointee and fraudulently sought official diplomatic support.
Investigators also reportedly uncovered 34 bank accounts linked to the suspect, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious government agencies such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency/Public Private Partnership.
According to the statement, Adeyemi also allegedly used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria account through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no public funds were transferred into the account.
The police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.
The case has been fixed for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency also accused Adeyemi of changing his story after securing police bail by claiming that the Chief of Staff personally appointed him as Director-General of the council.
It described the claim as inconsistent with his earlier statement to investigators and maintained that Gbajabiamila had no connection whatsoever with the alleged fraudulent appointment.
Onanuga added that the Chief of Staff issued another public disclaimer on June 8, reaffirming that no such agency existed and distancing th
e Presidency from the activities of the suspect.
