BREAKING: Tinubu Orders ICPC To Probe Alleged ‘Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council’, Forged Appointment Letters, Fake Govt Documents, Bank Accounts

Abuja, Nigeria– President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to launch a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body the Federal Government says was never established by law, presidential approval or any official government instrument.

The directive was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the President ordered the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.

The presidential directive comes days after the Presidency disclosed the existence of the alleged fictitious agency and accused one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew of parading himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC while falsely claiming to be a presidential appointee.

However, despite describing the council as a body that has no legal backing and was never created by the Federal Government, the latest statement directed the ICPC to investigate its activities and related matters without expressly acknowledging that the agency itself was fake.

According to the statement, the President ordered the ICPC to conduct a thorough investigation into the PFIPC and every issue connected with its operations.

The statement read, “The President directed that the investigation be concluded and a comprehensive report submitted to him within 30 days.

It added that the directive followed the discovery of the fictitious PFIPC, “which was never established by the Federal Government of Nigeria and has no basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful act of Government.”

The Presidency said Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

President Tinubu specifically mandated the ICPC to investigate allegations surrounding forged appointment letters and other official government documents allegedly used by those behind the scheme.

The investigation will also cover the alleged use of false claims of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, as well as the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.

According to the statement, the President also directed the anti-graft agency to investigate not only the conduct of the principal suspect and other collaborators but also the broader circumstances that may have enabled the fictitious organisation and false claims of presidential appointment to appear legitimate.

“The investigation is to examine the provenance and use of false official documents; the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained; the opening and operation of any related bank accounts; the source and movement of any funds involved; and the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, intermediary or other person or entity that may have facilitated, enabled or participated in the alleged scheme,” President said.

President Tinubu further directed the ICPC to identify weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and recommend immediate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Presidency also instructed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to cooperate fully with the ICPC by providing all relevant records, information and assistance required for the speedy completion of the investigation whenever lawfully requested.

According to the statement, President Tinubu stressed that “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.”

He further directed that “all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with applicable law.”

The latest directive follows an earlier statement issued by Onanuga on July 1, 2026, after a report on the activities of the alleged fake council.

In that statement, Onanuga said, “We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council.”

He disclosed that the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President first uncovered the existence of the illegal organisation after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) complained that another purported government agency appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.

The Presidency subsequently maintained that the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and that the investigation is intended to unravel everyone involved in the alleged impersonation, forgery and other related offences, as well as any institutional lapses that enabled the scheme to operate.