President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to launch a full investigation into a purported "Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council" that never existed. The president wants a detailed report within 30 days, according to a statement from his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
The alleged council has no legal foundation, the statement said. It was never created by the Nigerian government and exists in no law, presidential decree, or official approval.
A man named Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew claimed to be the director-general of this fake body and falsied that the president appointed him. He used this false status to seek official recognition and diplomatic backing.
The ICPC must examine forged appointment letters and fake government documents, Onanuga said. Investigators will look at how Matthew used his false presidential claim to request visa help and other diplomatic favours.
The commission will also probe bank accounts opened in the names of phoney government agencies using forged papers. "The President directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy," the statement read.
Tinubu wants a broader examination of how this scheme worked. The investigation must trace where false documents came from, how they were used, and who might have helped the operation succeed.
The probe will track bank accounts allegedly linked to the scam and follow the money's path. It will also determine whether any public servants, private citizens, banks, or middlemen knowingly supported the scheme.
The president ordered the ICPC to identify gaps in government procedures that the fraudsters exploited. He also wants recommendations to stop similar abuses from happening again.
All federal agencies must hand over documents and information the ICPC requests without delay, the statement confirmed. Tinubu stressed that the presidency and government institutions cannot tolerate impersonation, forgery, or misuse of official titles.
Anyone found guilty will face the full force of the law, he added. The statement did not name any other persons involved in the alleged scheme besides Matthew.
