Fake Agency: Row Deepens as Adeyemi Rejects ICPC Probe, Demands Independent Investigation
Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has urged President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent panel to investigate the controversy surrounding the council.
In an open letter to the President, Adeyemi said the panel should be “independent” and “multi-stakeholder” to “guarantee complete neutrality”.
According to him, its membership should include representatives of civil society organisations, independent media, international financial observers, and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, to monitor compliance with international legal and safety standards.
He also proposed the inclusion of diplomatic observers from the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, ECOWAS, and the African Union, as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as technical partners within the broader independent panel.
President Tinubu had earlier directed the ICPC to investigate the matter. However, Adeyemi argued that because the commission is a government agency, it would be inappropriate for it to conduct the investigation.
“If this investigation is to command the absolute trust of the Nigerian public and the international community, it must transcend standard bureaucratic boundaries,” he said.
“The moment this independent, multi-stakeholder panel is constituted, I will immediately step forward to present comprehensive documentation and verifiable evidence,” Adeyemi added. “A system cannot credibly investigate itself when its own key actors are central to the discourse.”
He commended President Tinubu for directing the ICPC to investigate the circumstances “surrounding the PFIPC scandal and the ₦1.3 billion allocation inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Bill.”
“This directive is a vital first step, but the structural realities of this investigation compel me to speak out of a profound desire for absolute transparency,” he said.
Adeyemi further alleged that “true accountability cannot be achieved when the agency conducting the investigation answers directly to the branch of government within which the core allegations lie.”
He also claimed that surrendering himself under the current arrangement would place his life at risk.
“Furthermore, I must state clearly that walking freely into custody under the current arrangement poses an immediate, existential threat to my life. I have received verified, highly reliable intelligence indicating that I am targeted for elimination the moment I surface in an unmonitored environment,” he said.
He linked his concerns to the reported death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, whom he described as a key intermediary in the matter.
According to Adeyemi, official reports stated that Tanimola died in a fire at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja, but he claimed there was no independent eyewitness or media verification of the incident.
He further alleged that, shortly afterwards, unidentified armed men demolished the hotel without the involvement of any Federal Capital Territory regulatory agency, thereby destroying what he described as a crucial crime scene and material evidence.
The letter comes amid controversy over the PFIPC, which the Presidency has maintained does not exist. Despite this, Adeyemi insists he was duly appointed.
He denied any wrongdoing and accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior government officials of attempting to frustrate his activities after he allegedly refused to comply with certain directives.
At a press conference last month, Adeyemi challenged Gbajabiamila’s position, arguing that the council could not have appeared in the 2026 budget if it did not exist.
He further alleged that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives received ₦400 million from him through a proxy and later demanded an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment.
Prosecutors have accused Adeyemi of forging several government documents, including a presidential appointment letterhead.
He has denied the allegations, insisting that he was legitimately appointed.
“If I’m wrong, let the court of law decide that, and if I’m right, let the court of law do that; do the right thing,” he said during an edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
