Nigeria arrests Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi over fake presidential agency scandal

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as Director‑General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The Presidency has denied the existence of these bodies, stating that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and used a counterfeit signature of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.

Investigations revealed that the phantom agency was allocated more than ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 federal budget and maintained accounts at the Central Bank of Nigeria. Adeyemi operated from an office in Abuja’s Federal Secretariat Complex, hosted diplomats and investors, and claimed the agency received a ₦27.4 billion take‑off grant. He was arrested, faces an eight‑count charge of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and operating a fictitious agency, and a federal high‑court hearing is pending. The Presidency has asked the DSS and EFCC to probe any government officials linked to the scandal, and documents obtained by SGF show the agency’s existence despite official denial.