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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

‘Fake’ DG insists appointment was genuine

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A man claiming to be the Director-General of a non-existent presidential council maintains his appointment was genuine despite facing charges for alleged conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation.
  • He expressed confidence in being vindicated by the court, stating he possesses a letter of appointment and has operated openly for nearly three years.
  • The Presidency, however, dismissed his claims, labeling him an impostor and citing police investigations that found he forged documents and operated a fictitious agency.

Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and Presidential Economic Advisory Council, insists his appointment was legitimate. He is currently facing charges related to alleged conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation.

Not at all.

— Adeniyi Adeyemi MatthewResponding to a question on whether he was evading the law.

Speaking during a television interview, Adeyemi stated that the matter is before the court and expressed his belief that he will be cleared. "Let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I am ready to clear my name," he said, adding that his lawyers are involved and will monitor the proceedings. He confirmed he has a letter of appointment but declined to elaborate further due to the ongoing legal case. Adeyemi also denied being a criminal, asserting that the court would determine his guilt or innocence.

Definitely, if I am wrong, let the court of law do that; if I am right, let the court of law do the right thing. Do you know what? Since the matter is in the court, let the court of competent jurisdiction vindicate me because I am ready to clear my name. Let the court take its course. Since my lawyers are involved, everybody will follow us, they will monitor the whole thing. Let the court of competent jurisdiction do the needful.

— Adeniyi Adeyemi MatthewOn whether he was prepared to face trial.

Challenging the assertion that his agency does not exist, Adeyemi questioned how he could have operated openly for nearly three years, meeting with various government officials, if the council were fictitious. "Nigeria is not a banana republic," he asserted, suggesting his sustained operations indicated the agency's legitimacy. He noted that the council had reportedly secured a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget and hosted high-profile events.

I have a letter of appointment. However, since the matter is in the court, I won’t be able to say much about it. I am on medication. I am a bit down, I am sick.

— Adeniyi Adeyemi MatthewExplaining his limited comments on the case.

However, the Presidency, through its Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has refuted Adeyemi's claims. The Presidency described him as an impostor facing criminal prosecution. Police investigations reportedly found that Adeyemi forged a presidential appointment letter, operated a fictitious government agency, and maintained 34 bank accounts, some allegedly under the names of non-existent bodies.

No, I am not a criminal. However, the court will do justice to that.

— Adeniyi Adeyemi MatthewResponding to a question on whether he considered himself a criminal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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