Nigerian authorities have charged Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew with forgery and impersonation after prosecutors accused him of creating and running a fictitious government agency that secured federal office space and a budget allocation.
Adeyemi appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to eight charges relating to the alleged operation of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), an entity the Presidency says was never established or authorised by the Federal Government.
Prosecutors allege that Adeyemi had posed as the agency’s director general since 2024 and used forged government documents to present the organisation as a legitimate federal institution.
According to court filings, the purported agency obtained office space inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and secured an allocation of about $1 million, or N1.3 billion, in the 2026 federal budget. It also allegedly attempted to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC has no legal basis and was never created by presidential instrument, executive approval or any other lawful government action.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the agency in July after the allegations emerged. The investigation was also tasked with examining how the fictitious body obtained apparent access to government systems and whether public officials or other institutions facilitated its activities.
The allegations date back to 2025, when the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President raised concerns over purported appointment letters and other documents allegedly bearing official signatures, seals and reference numbers.
The Presidency said the documents were used to claim that Adeyemi had been appointed to head the agency and to seek recognition and assistance from government institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Police investigations subsequently led to Adeyemi’s arrest and the filing of an eight count charge against him and two other suspects identified as Femi and Anu, who remain at large. The charges include conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Police investigators also alleged that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including accounts opened in the names of purported government agencies. Authorities said their investigation found no evidence that government funds had been transferred into the Central Bank account associated with the fictitious council.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and previously maintained that the PFIPC was a legitimate organisation. He has also disputed the government’s account of the circumstances surrounding the agency’s creation.
The case has raised questions about the verification procedures within Nigeria’s public institutions, particularly how an organisation that the government says did not legally exist was able to obtain government office space, appear in budget documents and interact with several public institutions.
The allegations also highlight the importance of stronger institutional checks around official appointments, government agencies, budget allocations and access to public facilities.
Adeyemi was remanded in custody following Wednesday’s proceedings, with his next court appearance scheduled for October 12. The allegations against him remain before the court and have yet to be determined.
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