Police Arrest Father of PFIPC Director-General Amid Forgery Scandal
The controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) escalated on Monday as police reportedly arrested the father of the council’s embattled self-proclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
Adeyemi, who faces charges of forgery, impersonation, and related offences, allegedly went into hiding after the Presidency declared the PFIPC a non-existent government agency and accused him of fabricating official documents.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) condemned the arrest, arguing that there is no legal basis for detaining relatives of a suspect. He stressed that Adeyemi had already pledged to appear before the court, questioning why his father was taken into custody.
Residents of the area confirmed that several police vehicles arrived at the residence before officers took the elderly man away. Witnesses said the operation caused panic in the neighborhood, while Adeyemi’s mother was reportedly left in shock after the arrests.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) dismissed claims that the PFIPC successfully opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or received government funds.
The clarification contradicts earlier remarks suggesting that the council had opened a CBN account using forged documents. According to the OAGF, although an application to open the account was initiated after Adeyemi presented an appointment letter linked to an existing government agency, the process was never completed because the required signatories were not submitted.
Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, explained that the account never became operational, making it impossible for any government allocation to be paid into it.
He also denied reports that salaries had been paid to staff of the council, noting that no federal agency can recruit personnel or process salaries without approvals from the relevant government institutions and enrollment on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Mokwa stressed that none of the statutory requirements had been fulfilled by the PFIPC, insisting that the council had neither an operational CBN account nor an approved payroll.
Despite these clarifications, the controversy has intensified because the PFIPC was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budget allocation of approximately ₦1.3 billion. The allocation included funds for personnel costs, overhead expenses, and capital projects, raising questions about how an agency the Presidency insists does not legally exist appeared in the federal budget.
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC was never established under President Bola Tinubu’s administration and has accused Adeyemi of forging appointment letters and other official documents to present himself as the council’s Director-General.
According to government officials, the alleged fraud came to light after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) reported that the council was carrying out functions similar to those of the commission. Security agencies subsequently launched an investigation, during which investigators reportedly recovered several questionable documents.
The case is currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Adeyemi faces charges related to forgery, impersonation, and other alleged offences.
Responding to reports of the arrest, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command said the investigation is being handled by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja and advised journalists to seek official updates from the Force Headquarters.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 federal budget has continued to fuel public debate, with opposition leaders, legal experts, and civil society groups calling for an independent investigation into how the agency secured a budget allocation despite the government’s position that it is fictitious.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi are among those demanding a thorough probe into the matter, saying the controversy raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s budgeting process.
