The Presidency has described Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as an impostor who allegedly created and operated a fictitious government agency, insisting that he was never appointed to head any Presidential Economic Advisory Council or Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President had repeatedly alerted security agencies and relevant government institutions that Adeyemi’s purported appointment and the agency he claimed to head were fraudulent.
According to the Presidency, the Chief of Staff first petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police on October 17, 2025, after complaints emerged that an illegal organisation was operating under the name “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” while presenting forged appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
The petition stated that fake documents bearing forged signatures, reference numbers and official seals were being used to portray Adeyemi as Director-General of the non-existent agency, which allegedly operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
The Presidency further alleged that members of the fake organisation held meetings with Nigerian and foreign officials and even sought a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for some of their staff.
Describing the development as a serious criminal act capable of undermining the integrity of the Presidency, the Chief of Staff requested security agencies to investigate those responsible, identify their collaborators and prosecute everyone involved.
The statement noted that concerns over the organisation had also been raised independently by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a letter dated October 15, 2025, the ministry sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Staff after Adeyemi reportedly convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge or approval.
According to the ministry, the action violated established diplomatic procedures.
The Office of the National Security Adviser subsequently forwarded the enquiry to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), which also sought clarification from the Chief of Staff following multiple enquiries from government and non-governmental organisations concerning Adeyemi’s status.
Responding to both the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the OSGF, the Chief of Staff categorically denied issuing any appointment letter to Adeyemi, stressing that no such government agency existed and noting that appointments into federal offices are made through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not the Office of the Chief of Staff.
The Presidency said police investigations commenced immediately after the petition. Adeyemi was arrested in Abuja on October 27, 2025, at the office from which he allegedly operated the scheme.
Searches conducted at his office and residence in Suleja reportedly led to the recovery of several documents and other exhibits. During interrogation, Adeyemi allegedly claimed that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola helped him procure the forged appointment letter. Police investigations later revealed that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja on October 22, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
According to the statement, investigators established that the agency was fictitious and that Adeyemi forged appointment letters and other official documents, falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee and fraudulently sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Police also reportedly discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious organisations such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP). Investigators further alleged that he used forged documents to fraudulently open a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no government funds were paid into the account.
The police concluded that the offences amounted to forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, adding that the acts brought the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Presidency into disrepute before both the Nigerian public and the international community.
Based on the findings, police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The matter is scheduled to come up on July 27, 2026.
The Presidency said that while on police bail, Adeyemi resurfaced with fresh claims that the Chief of Staff had appointed him Director-General of the purported council, a position it said directly contradicted his earlier statement to investigators. It explained that this prompted the Chief of Staff to issue another public disclaimer on June 8, 2026, reaffirming that Adeyemi was an impostor.
The statement further recalled that Adeyemi had previously attracted public attention in 2016 when he allegedly presented himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation, which he claimed was affiliated with the United Nations. It said the United Nations later denied the existence of such an organisation.
The Presidency therefore urged politicians and members of the public not to rely on Adeyemi’s claims or politicise the matter, emphasising that the case is already before the court and remains sub judice. It advised Nigerians to await the outcome of the ongoing trial.
