Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered how some civil servants allegedly facilitated the activities of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), enabling it to obtain government approvals and gain access to official financial and administrative systems.
The findings are contained in an interim investigation report by the ICPC into the PFIPC, whose purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
The investigation was ordered by President Bola Tinubu after the Presidency disowned the PFIPC and Adeyemi.
According to the commission, the purported agency’s ability to penetrate government structures allegedly went beyond forged documents attributed to Adeyemi and involved actions by officials in several government institutions who processed its requests despite alleged gaps in required procedures.
The ICPC said Adeyemi began seeking formal recognition for the PFIPC in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Investigators said the applications were supported with purported official documents, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter on State House letterhead allegedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale.
The commission said its investigation found that no such person as Akanbi Adewale existed, while forensic examination allegedly showed that the letter attributed to him was signed by Adeyemi.
Despite the alleged irregularities, the documents were reportedly processed, leading to the OAGF granting the PFIPC self-accounting status on May 27, 2025.
The purported organisation was assigned administrative code 0111062001, alongside authorised establishment and recruitment waiver arrangements, according to the report.
The approvals allegedly enabled the PFIPC to gain access to government financial systems, including a Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform and a Sub-Treasury Account.
The OAGF also reportedly issued a mandate to the CBN to create two domiciliary accounts for the PFIPC.
The CBN later told the House of Representatives that the accounts were never activated because the purported agency failed to provide authorised signatories.
The ICPC also examined the alleged roles of three civil servants in facilitating an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the PFIPC.
The officials named in the report are Rose Achem, a Senior Administrative Officer attached to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Patricia Akhigbe, an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Mimi Abu, Director of Organisation Design and Development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
According to the ICPC, Achem allegedly introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the PFIPC’s head of human resources, despite Akhigbe being an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The commission said the introduction was allegedly made to facilitate the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver.
The ICPC alleged that the three officials subsequently facilitated approvals for the PFIPC through the OHCSF.
The report also alleged that Adeyemi paid Akhigbe N500,000 during Easter in 2025, described in the evidence as a “thank you for your support.”
The authorised establishment was reportedly granted on the same day the three officials met.
However, the ICPC said it found no evidence that the PFIPC formally applied for an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver.
Instead, investigators alleged that the approvals were processed outside the required procedure.
When the commission requested the relevant file from the OHCSF, the office reportedly said the file could not be found.
The ICPC said standard procedures require newly established government organisations seeking authorisation to submit documents showing their mandate and establishment instruments, as well as the appointment letter of the organisation’s head.
Investigators, however, alleged that Achem and Akhigbe presented forged establishment instruments and a forged appointment letter for Adeyemi during their meeting with Abu.
Abu reportedly described the controversial appointment letter, said to have been issued by the Chief of Staff to the President, as an “aberration.”
She told investigators that she could not recall another government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff.
The ICPC also investigated how Adeyemi allegedly secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat.
The investigation examined the role of Aminu Abdullahi, an official responsible for office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
According to the report, Abdullahi was introduced to Adeyemi in March 2025 by Ibrahim Abdulkadir, a Deputy Director in General Services, to guide him through the process of obtaining office accommodation.
The commission alleged that Abdullahi allocated offices previously occupied by a former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr Doyin Salami, at the Federal Secretariat Phase III for the temporary use of the PFIPC without written approval.
It also alleged that only two keys were available for the offices, while the locks on other offices were broken to enable Adeyemi gain access.
An analysis of Abdullahi’s bank records allegedly showed that he received N3.25 million from Adeyemi in three tranches between March and November 2025.
Meanwhile, the investigation also uncovered another purported government entity, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, which allegedly operated within the OSGF.
President Tinubu subsequently ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze.
The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, said investigators found that Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name and had suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
The commission said forged legislative instruments were allegedly used to give the entities an appearance of legitimacy and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in their names.
The emergence of the second purported agency has raised further concerns about weaknesses in verification and oversight mechanisms within government institutions.
The ICPC said its investigation identified gaps in existing civil service procedures, including inadequate requirements for newly established federal institutions to submit and verify relevant establishment documents.
The commission also found what it described as insufficient mechanisms for vetting documents presented by organisations seeking access to government structures.
The ICPC noted that the self-accounting status granted by the OAGF was particularly significant, as it enabled the purported PFIPC to operate within government financial reporting structures and deal with other government institutions as an official entity.
The purported agency was also listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of N1.3 billion, although Adeyemi reportedly denied preparing the budget.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that his appointment was legitimate.
The Presidency has maintained that neither the PFIPC nor Adeyemi received official recognition under the Tinubu administration.
The ICPC said it had recommended administrative action against Abu, Achem, Akhigbe and Abdullahi as investigations into the matter continue.
