Presidency Exposes Alleged Fake Presidential Council, Details Fraud Probe

The Presidency has detailed what it described as an elaborate scheme by an Abuja-based suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to forge presidential appointment documents, impersonate a government appointee and operate a non-existent federal agency, ahead of his scheduled trial later this month.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the State House said police investigations established that Adeyemi allegedly created and ran a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, through which he presented himself as its director-general using forged documents purportedly issued from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to the Presidency, concerns over the activities of the alleged organisation first surfaced in October 2025 after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission reported that another body claiming to represent the Federal Government was engaging prospective investors. The Office of the Chief of Staff subsequently petitioned security agencies, alleging that forged appointment letters bearing fake signatures, seals and reference numbers were being used to confer legitimacy on the group.

The statement said the investigation led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja. A search of the premises and his residence in Suleja reportedly yielded forged appointment letters, official documents and other exhibits linked to the alleged operation.

The Presidency further disclosed that investigators found the agency had no legal existence and alleged that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious organisations. Police also alleged that he fraudulently secured the opening of a Central Bank of Nigeria account through false representations made to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no public funds were traced to the account.

It added that the police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two other defendants before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, bordering on forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence. The matter is scheduled to come up in court on July 27.

The Presidency also dismissed renewed claims by the suspect that he was appointed by the Chief of Staff, describing the assertion as inconsistent with both official records and his earlier statement to investigators. It urged the public to allow the judicial process to take its course, noting that the case is already before the court.