Nigeria Presidency: Internal Collaborators Aided PFIPC Fraud Scheme

The Nigerian Presidency has intensified its stance on the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal, accusing internal government collaborators of enabling Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi to operate the fictitious agency. The Presidency has now tasked the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with uncovering and prosecuting these individuals. This latest development escalates a dispute that has drawn in the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Adeyemi himself. The Presidency accuses Adeyemi of sophisticated fraud, presenting himself as the Director-General of a non-existent council. While the Presidency maintains the PFIPC never existed, critics point to alleged budgetary provisions linked to the body, demanding an independent investigation. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, stated that internal collaborators were instrumental in Adeyemi forging presidential appointment letters, maintaining 34 bank accounts under fictitious agency names, hosting foreign ambassadors, and even opening a Central Bank of Nigeria account. "What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeyemi to get this far," Ajayi said. "That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel. The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled, and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted." Ajayi characterized Adeyemi as an "irredeemable con artist" exploiting public perceptions of corruption. He argued that while institutional failures were criticized, the system ultimately detected the irregularities. Officials from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly identified anomalies and alerted authorities, leading to official action. The Presidency recalled that on June 11, 2026, Gbajabiamila issued a public disclaimer stating the PFIPC had no official status.

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What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeyemi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel. The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled, and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted.