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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two additional fake government agencies.
The new discoveries are allegedly linked to Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), widening an investigation into what authorities describe as a sophisticated fraud network.
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed the development on Thursday after presenting the commission’s interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Aliyu said investigators established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC had no legal foundation, having neither been created by an Act of the National Assembly nor by an executive order.
He said the commission found that the appointment letter used by Adeyemi was forged, while the fake PFIPC unlawfully occupied offices and utilised official materials belonging to the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
According to Aliyu, the syndicate exploited weaknesses in verification procedures and coordination among government institutions to carry out impersonation, false representation and other illegal activities from the former PEAC office.
The ICPC chairman revealed that investigators also uncovered two additional fictitious agencies the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.
“These agencies were created using forged legislative instruments and were used to open bank accounts for illegal activities,” Aliyu said.
He further disclosed that Adeyemi later changed the organisation’s name from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in what investigators believe was an attempt to expand its activities into revenue generation.
Aliyu stressed that investigators found no evidence that public funds were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC or PEAC, adding that the inquiry uncovered no operational weaknesses within the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The investigation found no funds were approved or disbursed for the fake PFIPC/PEAC, and there were no weaknesses in the State House or CBN system,” he stated.
The commission recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi, disciplinary measures against public officials suspected of aiding the operation of the fake agencies, and reforms to strengthen internal controls across government institutions.
Aliyu said officials from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation and the National Information Technology Development Agency were identified as collaborators in the alleged scheme.
He noted that the investigation remains ongoing and could expose additional details before criminal charges are filed.
The ICPC chairman added that President Tinubu had been fully briefed on the interim findings, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the prosecution of those found culpable.
