Fake DG Forged Gbajabiamila’s Letter, Ran 34 Bank Accounts – Presidency

‘The Man Mathew,’ what the Presidency revealed about Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, and the Fake Presidential Council He Operated for Months Before the Presidency Pulled the Plug

A man identified as Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew has been arrested and charged after allegedly running a fictitious agency he called the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” and the “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” from an office inside the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.

The Presidency first flagged the operation after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President received complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, who said another agency appeared to be working at cross-purposes with it.

In a letter dated October 17, 2025, the Chief of Staff alerted the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to what he described as “fraudsters and imposters” forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.

The letter said the fake documents carried falsified signatures, reference and folio numbers, and seals, and were being used to claim leadership of non-existent entities, with the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” cited specifically.

According to the Chief of Staff, Adeyemi was parading himself as Director-General of the illegal council, maintaining an office on the 2nd Floor of Phase III of the Secretariat and hosting meetings with both Nigerians and foreigners.

The office also alleged that the group had gone as far as requesting a note verbale from the United States Department of State to facilitate visas for its staff, an act the Chief of Staff said “undermines the integrity of the presidency and the credibility of official government communication”.

Attached to the petition were copies of the forged appointment letter, the visa request, and photographs taken from the agency’s website showing its engagements.

The matter soon drew the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a letter dated October 15, 2025, signed by Ambassador Anderson Madubuike, the ministry asked the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff for clarification after Adeyemi met with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Asokoro on October 10 without ministry approval.

The ministry described the meeting as a violation of “extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practices globally” and sought to know whether Adeyemi’s council was a recognized government body.

On October 20, the Office of the National Security Adviser wrote to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and on October 29 the SGF requested clarification from the Chief of Staff, noting “several requests from governmental and non-governmental bodies seeking to ascertain the status of the appointment”.

The Chief of Staff responded two days earlier, stating he had never issued any appointment to Adeyemi and could not have done so for an agency that does not exist. He added that appointment letters are the exclusive preserve of the SGF’s office, not his.

In a follow-up letter to the SGF on November 5, 2025, the Chief of Staff was unequivocal: “Prince Adeniyi Matthew, director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council.” He said his office had directed the police and other security agencies to investigate.

Acting on the October 17 petition, police began an investigation and arrested Adeyemi on October 27 at his Secretariat office. Searches of the office and his residence in Suleja yielded documents and other exhibits.

In his statement to police, Adeyemi named one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola as the person who helped him obtain the fake appointment letter. Police later confirmed that Tanimola had died in a fire at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on October 22, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest, and verified his body at the morgue.

Investigators concluded that the council Adeyemi claimed to lead was fictitious, that the appointment and other documents were forged, and that he had falsely solicited a diplomatic note to obtain US visas.

Police also uncovered 34 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi, nine of which were opened under the names of his fictitious entities: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency, the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP), and the FCT Investment Promotion Act.

Using the forged documents, Adeyemi was also alleged to have fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. Authorities said no government funds were transferred into the account.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kabir Mogaji, stated in the investigation report that Adeyemi’s actions amounted to “criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence,” and had brought the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Presidency into disrepute.

On November 27, 2025, police filed an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two accomplices. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 27.

Despite being on bail, Adeyemi recently repeated the claim that he was appointed by the Chief of Staff, contradicting his earlier police statement. The Chief of Staff issued another disclaimer on June 8, warning the public against the impostor. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga noted that Adeyemi had a similar history in 2016, when he posed as “President-General” of a non-existent UN-affiliated body, and urged Nigerians to await the court’s judgment, cautioning that current comments are sub judice.