The controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) took a dramatic turn on Thursday as police arrested the father of the council’s embattled Director-General, Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The arrest comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that Adeniyi forged official documents and falsely presented himself as the head of a non-existent presidential agency.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), condemned the arrest, describing it as unlawful and lacking any legal basis. Speaking to journalists, Falana disclosed that police operatives stormed the family’s residence at Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso, and arrested Adeniyi’s father alongside a family friend who was visiting.
“There is no legal basis for substituted arrests. The young man has promised to appear in court, so why arrest his father?” Falana queried.
Residents confirmed the operation, saying officers arrived in four vehicles before taking the two men away. According to eyewitnesses, the officers prevented neighbours from intervening, while Adeniyi’s mother was left in shock following the incident.
The Oyo State Police Command declined to comment on the arrests. Police spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, stated that the case is being handled by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja and advised journalists to seek updates from the Force Headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that the controversial PFIPC never operated a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account and did not receive any government funds, despite being allocated ₦1.302 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The clarification contradicts an earlier statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who had said police investigations showed Adeniyi fraudulently opened a CBN account using forged documents, although no government money was paid into it.
Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, explained that while an application to open a CBN account was initiated after Adeniyi presented an appointment letter linked to an existing government agency, the process was never completed because the required authorised signatories were not submitted.
“The account was never activated and never received a single kobo. No government funds were released because there was no operational account,” Mokwa said.
He further explained that although the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 federal budget, a budgetary allocation alone does not authorize the release of public funds.
Mokwa also dismissed reports that salaries had been paid to staff of the council, noting that no agency can recruit workers or process salaries without approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office, the Federal Civil Service Commission, and enrolment on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
According to him, none of those statutory requirements were fulfilled by the PFIPC, adding that officers deployed from the OAGF—not staff recruited by Adeniyi—are now expected to serve as prosecution witnesses.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC was never legally established under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. It said investigations began in October 2025 after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) raised concerns that the group was performing functions similar to those of the commission.
Security agencies subsequently launched an investigation after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President alleged that official appointment letters and presidential documents had been forged.
However, the controversy intensified after the 2026 Appropriation Act listed the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council under the Presidency with a budget allocation of ₦1.302 billion for personnel, overhead and capital projects.
The apparent contradiction has sparked nationwide debate, with opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, calling for an independent investigation into how a council described by the Presidency as fictitious was included in the federal budget.
Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi is currently facing charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
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