PFIPC probe: Accountant General opens up, says Adeyemi hijacked State House letter

’OAGF discovered that every document submitted by promoters of FPIPC was allegedly forged’

.Reps order IGP to produce ‘PFIPC DG’ Adeyemi on Wednesday

Emeka Agu with agency report

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, on Monday, said the self-styled director-general of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, hijacked a letter sent to the State House that could have revealed that documents used by the agency were forged.

Ogunjimi spoke while appearing before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the PFIPC controversy and the N1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

He told the committee that the office of the accountant-general (OAGF)’s first interaction with the council dates back to November 2024, when it received what appeared to be a genuine request from the State House for the creation of an administrative code for the council.

According to him, the request came on State House letterhead and sought an administrative code to facilitate budgeting, accounting and financial reporting.

He said the OAGF subsequently created an administrative code and, in line with standard procedure, issued a response to the State House on November 29, 2024, with a copy sent to the Budget Office of the Federation.

Ogunjimi said the response never reached the State House because it was allegedly intercepted by Adeyemi.

“The letter that was written to the treasury for us to give an administrative code was responded to.

“Unfortunately, as events unfolded, it was discovered that that letter did not get to State House. It was hijacked, precisely by the same man who claimed to be the director-general.

 “Because if our letter responding to the request of the State House that administrative code should be issued had gotten to State House, definitely the State House would have noticed that the letter requesting for administrative code was never issued by the State House,” he said.

The accountant-general said the OAGF only later discovered that every document submitted by the promoters of the council was allegedly forged.

“What the fake agency did was to submit a fake Act — so we can call it fake now because we have seen it to be fake — purportedly enacted by the national assembly, a fake letter of appointment; everything that was submitted to the leadership in treasury was fake,” he said.

Ogunjimi explained that because the request appeared to have originated from the presidency, treasury officials processed it in good faith.

“And so, probably they (OAGF) did not realise that it was fake, and because it was coming from State House, the approval was given for the administrative code to be issued,” he said.

The accountant-general also addressed the deployment of staff to the council, saying two officials who eventually worked with the PFIPC had originally been posted to the office of the chief economic adviser to the president in 2010 and 2013.

“We never knew. We believed, based on the records available to treasury, that those officers were still with the office of the chief economic adviser to the president,” Ogunjimi said.

“It was when all this matter came to light that we got to know that two of our staff were actually working or had been absorbed by the fake agency.”

Ogunjimi said the council requested the opening of a treasury single account (TSA) and two domiciliary accounts in US dollars and British pounds with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to facilitate foreign investment transactions and preparations for a world investment summit.

He said the domiciliary accounts were opened for inflows only, while the TSA request was declined.

Ogunjimi added that the accounts never became operational because the council failed to meet subsequent requirements.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has directed the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to produce the alleged director-general of the disputed agency,  Adeyemi Adeniyi, to appear before it on Wednesday

The committee issued the directive after the Nigeria Police Force confirmed key aspects of its ongoing criminal investigation, including petitions from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President alleging that Adeyemi fraudulently presented himself as the director-general of the purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

Chairman of the committee, Rep Yusuf Gagdi, ruled that Adeyemi’s appearance had become necessary because of the gravity of the allegations and their implications for individuals and government institutions.

“This committee clearly needs the suspected DG to appear before this committee,” Gagdi said.

“People’s names are involved. People’s integrity is involved. Institutional names are involved. Institutional integrity is involved.”

He added: “It is not an option now. We will need him here to confirm some documents to us in such a way that will not undermine our investigation to enable us to submit our report on time.”

The committee thereafter directed its clerk to formally write to the Inspector-General of Police.

“The committee hereby resolves that the Inspector-General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… kindly present Mr Adeyemi Martin on Wednesday by 12 noon. That is the ruling of the committee,” Gagdi declared.

Earlier, an assistant commissioner of police, Basir Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector General of Police, informed lawmakers that while criminal investigations were still ongoing, the police had already filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court against the suspect.

“The Nigerian Police Force investigated part of this case late last year and filed eight-count charges before a Federal High Court. The case is ongoing,” the officer said.

He added that the suspect had been arrested and arraigned, warning that disclosing further details could prejudice ongoing investigations and judicial proceedings.

 “We don’t want to say things that are under investigation. It is definitely going to prejudice the ongoing investigation and make people have opinions that may prejudge the outcome of an investigation or judicial decision,” he stated.

Despite the caution, the committee sought confirmation of documentary evidence already in its possession.

The police confirmed that on October 17, 2025, the chief of staff to the president petitioned security agencies over allegations against Adeyemi, leading to investigations that culminated in criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and fraud.

The police also confirmed receiving another petition alleging that Adeyemi falsely paraded himself as the director-general of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

According to the police, the petition further alleged that the suspect used the purported office to secure accommodation at the Federal Secretariat, sought approval to recruit about 300 staff, attempted to insert about N1.3 billion into the 2026 Appropriation Act for the non-existent agency and planned a World Investment Summit under the platform of the purported council.

One of the major moments during the hearing came when the committee compared signatures on documents allegedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the president with signatures on authentic correspondence obtained from the police.

Asked whether the signatures matched, the police witness responded unequivocally: “They are not the same.”

The committee chairman said the discrepancy reinforced concerns that official State House documents may have been forged.

“So, it is not only a letter that was suspected to be forged,” Umoh said.

“We are dealing with documents that include what is said to be a forged Act of the National Assembly in an attempt to establish a fake agency.”

He disclosed that investigators had so far identified about 29 allegedly forged documents, including purported approvals from the State House, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance and other government institutions.

According to him, several of the affected agencies had already appeared before the committee and disowned the documents attributed to them.

The chairman, however, stressed that the committee deliberately avoided compelling the police to disclose details capable of undermining ongoing criminal investigations.

 “We are avoiding a situation whereby they will be pushed… to make statements that will undermine their ongoing investigation,” he said.

He assured us that the House investigation would proceed independently and that its final report could recommend further action by security agencies.

The panel adjourned the hearing to Wednesday, July 29.