Nigeria's DSS faces probe over fake agency scandal and illegal spyware use

Nigeria’s President has ordered the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the so‑called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a fictitious agency allegedly created by Prince Matthew Adeniyi and linked to senior officials. Senior Special Assistant to the President, Temitope Ajayi, described Adeniyi as a “con artist” and said the probe will focus on internal criminal elements working with him.

Separately, an investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting found that the DSS acquired spyware that has been used to wiretap citizens and detain them without court orders, breaching Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. Victims described being monitored, forced to surrender phones, and taken to detention facilities, with cases including social‑media critic Saheed Jamilu and lawyer Pius Awoke. The reports allege the agency is operating beyond the lawful limits set by the Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations 2019.