Adeyemi Dragging Gbajabiamila Into Fraud Case to Escape Justice — Presidency

The Presidency on Friday said security agencies have been directed to identify and prosecute government officials who allegedly helped Prince Adeniyi Mathew operate a fake presidential agency for several months without being detected. The government also said efforts were underway to dismantle the network of collaborators linked to the case.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, made the position known in a statement released through his X account. He said investigators from the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had been assigned to uncover everyone connected to the operation.

Ajayi alleged that Mathew built a fraudulent network by using forged presidential appointment letters, operating 34 bank accounts in the names of fake government agencies, hosting foreign diplomats and opening a Central Bank of Nigeria account while presenting himself as the Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

He accused Mathew of trying to divert public attention by linking the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the case. According to him, the suspect was attempting to avoid responsibility for the allegations by taking advantage of public concerns about corruption.

Ajayi maintained that although the case exposed weaknesses within some government institutions, the same system eventually uncovered the alleged fraud. He explained that officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discovered irregularities after noticing that the fake council was carrying out activities that conflicted with the responsibilities of the NIPC and was meeting foreign diplomats without informing the ministry.

He said both agencies formally reported the matter to the relevant authorities, leading to further investigations and administrative action.

The presidential aide insisted that every government official found to have assisted the suspect would face prosecution once investigations are completed.

The statement marked the third official response from the Presidency on the controversy surrounding the fake agency.

Earlier, on June 11, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila publicly denied the existence of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and warned the public, foreign missions and financial institutions that the organisation had no legal status.

On July 1, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Mathew had already been facing an eight-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court since November 2025.

He also revealed that the suspect allegedly operated dozens of bank accounts under fictitious government agencies and fraudulently secured a Central Bank account after deceiving officials in the Office of the Accountant-General.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer has called for an independent investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

He argued that the Presidency could not clear anyone involved in the matter and requested an inquiry into both Gbajabiamila and Mathew. He also demanded answers over reports that billions of naira were budgeted for the non-existent agency and questioned how it succeeded in opening a CBN account.

Mathew is expected to return to the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026, alongside two other suspects who remain at large.