The Presidency has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to uncover and prosecute individuals allegedly involved in helping Prince Matthew Adeniyi operate the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
According to the Presidency, internal collaborators within government institutions may have aided Adeniyi in running the alleged fictitious agency and in the smear campaign against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, made the statement in a post on his X handle, where he described Adeniyi as an “irredeemable con artist” who is exploiting public perception of corruption to evade accountability by dragging Gbajabiamila into the controversy.
Ajayi said investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC have been tasked with uncovering the full extent of the alleged collaboration that enabled Adeniyi to forge presidential appointment letters, operate 34 bank accounts under fictitious government bodies, host foreign diplomats and open a Central Bank account while posing as director-general of the PFIPC.
“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.”
He further argued that corruption allegations against public officials often distract from deeper issues.
“Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw,” he said.
Ajayi also noted that while many have focused on the institutional lapses that allowed the alleged fraud to thrive, fewer people have acknowledged that the same system eventually detected the anomaly.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively,” he said.
He explained that officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first detected inconsistencies and raised concerns with relevant authorities.
The controversy intensified after Gbajabiamila issued a public disclaimer on June 11, 2026, stating that the PFIPC had no official recognition and that no appointment had been made under the agency.
On July 1, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga disclosed that Adeniyi had already been charged with eight criminal counts since November 27, 2025. He also alleged that Adeniyi maintained 34 bank accounts linked to fake government agencies and fraudulently opened a CBN account.
However, human rights lawyer Femi Falana challenged the Presidency’s position, arguing that it lacked constitutional powers to clear any party involved and calling for an independent investigation into both Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi.
Falana also demanded clarification on how billions of naira were allegedly budgeted for the disputed agency and how it reportedly secured a CBN account.
Adeniyi is expected to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two accomplices who remain at large.