President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and all matters connected with the organisation.

The President ordered the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation and submit a detailed report within 30 days.

The directive was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to Onanuga, the directive followed the discovery of the PFIPC, which he described as a fictitious organisation that was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful government action.

The statement alleged that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the purported council and claimed to have been appointed by the President.

Among the issues the ICPC has been directed to investigate are the alleged forgery of appointment letters and other official government documents; the use of a false claim of presidential appointment to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation; and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.

According to the Presidency, the investigation will extend beyond the principal suspect and his alleged collaborators to examine the wider circumstances that enabled a non-existent government body and a false claim of presidential appointment to gain an appearance of official legitimacy.

The probe will also examine the origin and use of the alleged forged documents, the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained, the opening and operation of related bank accounts, the source and movement of any funds involved, and the roles of any public officials, private individuals, financial institutions, intermediaries, or other persons or entities that may have facilitated or participated in the alleged scheme.

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

The President also instructed all ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant records, information, and assistance required to ensure the timely completion of the investigation.

According to the statement, Tinubu stressed that the integrity of the Presidency and federal institutions must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity, and the exploitation of weaknesses within the public service.

He further directed that anyone found culpable should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The controversy centres on Adeniyi Adeyemi, who insists that he was lawfully appointed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council despite the Presidency’s position that no such agency exists.

Adeyemi previously accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of receiving ₦400 million through a proxy before allegedly demanding an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment. He also disputed the Presidency’s denial of the PFIPC’s existence, arguing that the council was referenced in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The claimant has called on President Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel, maintaining that he is prepared to defend his allegations in court.

However, the Presidency, through Onanuga, dismissed Adeyemi’s claims and described him as an impostor.

It alleged that Adeyemi forged appointment documents, impersonated a government official, fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account, and operated under the guise of a non-existent government agency.

The Presidency added that police investigations led to the filing of an eight-count criminal charge against Adeyemi and two others, with the matter scheduled for hearing on July 27.