This post has already been read at least 11125 times!
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Presidency has detailed how an alleged impostor, Mr. Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, purportedly operated a fictitious government agency and forged official documents to present himself as the Director-General of a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency said Adeyemi’s activities had been under investigation since last year following complaints from government agencies and the discovery of forged appointment letters allegedly emanating from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
According to the statement, the Office of the Chief of Staff first raised the alarm on October 17, 2025, after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission reported that another agency appeared to be carrying out functions that conflicted with its mandate.
The Chief of Staff subsequently petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, requesting a full-scale investigation into what he described as the activities of “fraudsters and impostors” forging official government documents.
The Presidency disclosed that the alleged fake agency operated from an office located at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, where its officials reportedly held meetings with foreign diplomats and Nigerian stakeholders while presenting themselves as a legitimate government institution.
The statement further revealed that the group had sought a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the procurement of United States visas for some of its purported staff.
According to the Presidency, the matter also triggered concerns within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which on October 15, 2025, wrote to both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Staff seeking clarification on the status of Adeyemi’s organisation.
The inquiry followed a meeting allegedly convened by Adeyemi with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja without the involvement of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The ministry reportedly described the action as a violation of established diplomatic protocols.
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) also sought clarification from the Chief of Staff after receiving numerous enquiries from government and non-governmental organisations regarding the legitimacy of the purported appointment.
In response, the Chief of Staff categorically denied ever appointing Adeyemi to any position, stressing that the agency in question did not exist.
“The Chief of Staff could not have issued a letter of appointment to a non-existent agency,” the Presidency stated, noting that appointments and official communications of such nature are the exclusive responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The Presidency further disclosed that Adeyemi was arrested by the police on October 27, 2025, at the Abuja office from where he allegedly operated the scheme.
Searches conducted at the office and his residence in Suleja reportedly yielded several incriminating documents and exhibits.
During interrogation, Adeyemi allegedly claimed that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in obtaining the forged appointment letter.
However, police investigations later established that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
According to the Presidency, investigators established that the agency purportedly headed by Adeyemi was entirely fictitious and that he had forged appointment letters and other official documents to support his claims.
The police also reportedly found that Adeyemi had fraudulently sought diplomatic documentation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and falsely represented himself as a government appointee.
More startling, according to the statement, was the discovery that the suspect allegedly operated 34 bank accounts, including nine accounts opened in the names of non-existent entities such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP).
Investigators also alleged that he used forged documents to open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Presidency, however, clarified that no government funds were transferred into the account.
Quoting the police investigation report, the statement said the suspect’s actions amounted to “criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence,” adding that they had brought the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff into disrepute.
Based on the findings of the investigation, the police filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices.
The case is scheduled to come up on July 27.
The Presidency said Adeyemi recently renewed claims that he had been appointed by the Chief of Staff despite earlier statements to investigators contradicting such assertions.
This development, it said, prompted the Chief of Staff to issue another disclaimer on June 8, reiterating that Adeyemi was an impostor.
Describing the suspect as a “con artist,” the Presidency alleged that Adeyemi had a history of fraudulent misrepresentation.
It recalled that in 2016 he allegedly presented himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation, which he claimed was affiliated with the United Nations.
The statement noted that the United Nations subsequently denied the existence of the organisation.
The Presidency therefore urged politicians and members of the public to refrain from accepting Adeyemi’s claims as fact and to allow the judicial process to take its course.
It stressed that the matter remains before the court and is therefore sub judice, urging all parties to await the outcome of the trial and the court’s eventual judgment.
This post has already been read at least 11125 times!
About the Author
