News summary produced by Claude AI
Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who identified himself as director general of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), was arrested in Osun State following a warrant issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja. The arrest came after Adeyemi failed to appear at a court hearing where he faced charges of forgery and impersonation. Law enforcement personnel from the Force Intelligence Department and Intelligence Response Team were involved in the detention.
The case emerged after President Bola Tinubu initiated a corruption investigation into the agency last week. According to the presidency, an official-appearing letter establishing the PFIPC was fabricated, with forensic analysis determining that the signature of the president’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, had been forged. Despite maintaining his innocence in media interviews, Adeyemi absconded from the scheduled court appearance. His attorney, Genesis Francis, informed the court that he could not convince his client to attend, citing personal safety concerns. Adeyemi had previously sent an open letter to President Tinubu expressing those apprehensions.
According to Adeyemi’s claims, the PFIPC was established in 2024 to promote foreign investment in Nigeria, though no concluded deals have been documented. The agency occupied office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgeted allocation of 1.3 billion naira. However, the Accountant-General’s Office contradicted these claims, stating the PFIPC had never maintained an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria and received neither public funds nor salaries.
Court documents indicate that Adeyemi and two additional individuals face accusations of utilizing forged official documents to establish and operate the council, creating multiple bank accounts under its name, and pursuing official recognition for the nonexistent agency. The scandal has generated demands from civil society organizations, opposition politicians, and legal professionals for an independent inquiry into the matter.