The Presidency has alleged that Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed to be the Director-General of a purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council, fraudulently secured the opening of a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account by using forged government documents.
The allegation was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the Presidency, investigations conducted by the Nigeria Police Force revealed that Adeyemi relied on falsified government documents to deceive the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation into processing the opening of the CBN account.
The Presidency further clarified that police investigators found no evidence indicating that any government funds were deposited into or transferred through the account.
According to the statement, investigations also uncovered that Adeyemi operated a total of 34 bank accounts, nine of which were allegedly opened in the names of non-existent government agencies, including the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP).
The statement further alleged that Adeyemi fabricated his appointment letter, falsely claimed to be a government official, and subsequently requested a note verbal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the issuance of United States visas for himself and members of his delegation.
According to the Presidency, the matter first attracted official attention after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, received complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, who reported that another organisation appeared to be carrying out functions that conflicted with those of the council.
Following the complaints, the Presidency said Gbajabiamila submitted a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation into individuals allegedly producing forged appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
The statement disclosed that police operatives arrested Adeyemi on October 27, 2025, at his office in Abuja. It added that searches conducted at both his office and his residence in Suleja led to the recovery of several documents and other items considered relevant to the investigation.
According to the Presidency, Adeyemi told investigators during interrogation that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in obtaining the alleged fake appointment letter. However, investigators later established that Tanimola had died in a fire outbreak at Kachi Hotel in Abuja five days before Adeyemi's arrest.
The Presidency stated that the outcome of the police investigation confirmed that the agency Adeyemi claimed to lead never existed and that the documents recovered from him were forged.
“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police report quoted in the statement read.
Based on the findings of the investigation, the Presidency said the Nigeria Police Force filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two other alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The matter has been scheduled for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency also rejected Adeyemi's recent assertion that he was appointed by the Chief of Staff to the President, describing the claim as false and inconsistent with the statements he had earlier made during police interrogation.
It further called on politicians and members of the public to avoid using Adeyemi's allegations against Gbajabiamila for political purposes, stressing that the matter is already before a competent court and should be allowed to proceed through the judicial process.
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