- President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to launch an immediate investigation into a fraudulent syndicate operating as the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” and submit a report within 30 days.
- The fake government body allegedly used forged presidential documents to open multiple illegal bank accounts and secure fraudulent visa facilitations, operating entirely outside the parameters of Nigerian law.
- The swift presidential intervention follows public allegations by the principal suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who accused Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila of demanding a 48 percent cut of an alleged N27.4 billion take-off grant, a claim Gbajabiamila has strongly denied.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to launch a comprehensive investigation into the operations of a rogue entity operating under the name “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.”
Eko Hot Blog reports that the executive order, revealed on Tuesday through an official press release by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, mandates the anti-graft agency to conclude its findings and deliver a definitive report within a strict 30-day window.
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The presidency confirmed that federal intelligence operatives uncovered the existence of the fraudulent council, clarifying that the establishment has no structural or legal foundation within any federal statute, executive directive, or presidential instrument.
According to state documents, a principal suspect identified as Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew orchestrated the scheme by falsely parading himself as the Director-General of the fictitious council, asserting that his leadership was directly ratified via a presidential appointment.
The criminal investigation is set to dissect a wide matrix of institutional infractions associated with the syndicate. Key areas of the ICPC inquiry will focus on the creation and distribution of forged presidential appointment letters, the illegal acquisition of diplomatic recognition and visa facilitation services from foreign missions, and the illicit opening of several corporate bank accounts using falsified government credentials.
President Tinubu further instructed all federal ministries, departments, and agencies to grant the commission unhindered access to institutional databases to identify any internal public officers who may have compromised administrative processes.
This sweeping anti-corruption probe emerges amidst escalating public controversy surrounding the fake council.
On June 25, Matthew held an explosive press conference where he claimed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded a staggering 48 percent kickback from a purported N27.4 billion take-off grant, translating to roughly N12.5 billion.
Matthew also alleged that proxies acting for the Chief of Staff received N400 million to facilitate appointments within the fraudulent body.
In a swift legal response, Gbajabiamila, speaking through his principal counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, vehemently denied all allegations of financial impropriety or interaction with the suspect.
Maintaining that he has never met or communicated with Matthew, the Chief of Staff has threatened a N10 billion defamation lawsuit against the suspect for fabricating stories linking him to institutional bribery, budgetary manipulation, and criminal cover-ups.
The presidency reemphasized that anyone found culpable in the exploitation of public service vulnerabilities will face the full weight of the law.
