Nigeria: discovery of a fake permanent secretariat at the heart of the presidency

The organization that the accused is suspected of setting up, called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), never existed as a federal agency, claims the Presidency. Representing himself as its director-general based on appointment documents attributed to the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi allegedly held meetings with ambassadors, met with the chairman of the anti-corruption commission (EFCC) and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, solicited a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain U.S. visas for his supposed collaborators, and requested that three officers from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation be made available to him. Arrested on October 27, 2025, at his office in the Federal Secretariat by the federal police, he was arraigned on November 27, 2025, along with two co-defendants, Femi and Anu, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Adeyemi and his defenders contest the official version. Released on bail, he reiterated in June 2026 that he was indeed appointed by Gbajabiamila, which led the Chief of Staff to issue a second denial on June 8, 2026. Adeyemi also accused Gbajabiamila of demanding 48% of the agency’s startup budget, around 27 billion naira, and having received 400 million naira through an intermediary. The Presidency has not publicly responded to these allegations of corruption. All charges against the various parties are part of an ongoing judicial process; the presumption of innocence applies to all individuals involved.

A budget entry that raises questions

The case has taken on a larger dimension after several Nigerian media outlets noted that the PFIPC appeared on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Finance Bill signed by President Tinubu, with an allocation of 1.302 billion naira (approximately 713,000 euros at the current exchange rate). The Presidency has not explained how an agency it describes as fictitious was able to receive a budget line in a legislative text signed by the head of state. A budget analyst quoted by the Daily Post clarified that the Chief of Staff has no legal authority to include an agency in the budget, as this process is the exclusive responsibility of the Bureau of Budget of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Femi Falana has called for the establishment of an independent investigative panel and the suspension of Gbajabiamila from his duties during the investigations. The opposition has also sought explanations: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar publicly criticized the management of the communication by the Presidency in this matter.

Thirty-four bank accounts and a deceased intermediary

Investigators uncovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fake government agencies. He allegedly also opened an account within the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) using forged documents, going through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The Presidency asserts that no public funds were deposited in this account.

The person Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary to connect him with Gbajabiamila, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, died in a hotel fire in Utako, a district of Abuja, on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest. Adeyemi has requested that the circumstances of her death be included in the scope of investigation of a potential independent panel. Searches conducted at the Federal Secretariat and at Adeyemi’s home in Suleja, Niger State, located about 80 kilometers from Abuja, led to the seizure of forged appointment letters, official letterhead documents, correspondence addressed to public administrations, and photographs.

The case FHC/ABJ/CR/2025 is scheduled for hearing on July 27, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.