PFIPC: Tinubu orders ICPC to investigate Adeniyi within 30 days

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a swift 30-day investigation into a purported "Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council" (PFIPC). The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will lead the probe.

The directive follows the discovery that the PFIPC is a fictitious entity, never established by the Nigerian government. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga stated that an individual named Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew falsely presented himself as the council's Director-General and a presidential appointee.

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One Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

The investigation will scrutinize forged appointment letters and official government documents. It will also examine the use of these false claims to seek official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation. Furthermore, the ICPC will investigate the opening of multiple bank accounts under the guise of government agencies, allegedly using forged documents.

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President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.

President Tinubu emphasized the need to investigate not only Matthew and his collaborators but also the broader circumstances that allowed the fake organization to gain an appearance of legitimacy. The probe will delve into the origin and use of false documents, processes for obtaining official recognition, bank account operations, fund movements, and the roles of any public or private individuals who facilitated the scheme.

Additionally, the ICPC is tasked with identifying procedural weaknesses within government institutions that were exploited. The commission will recommend measures to prevent similar abuses. All federal government ministries, departments, and agencies are directed to cooperate fully with the ICPC. Tinubu stressed that the integrity of the presidency and government institutions must be safeguarded against impersonation and forgery.

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The integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.