Key facts
- Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed to be director general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has been arrested.
- The PFIPC is a fictitious agency purportedly set up by the Nigerian president's office.
- Matthew was arrested in Osun State after weeks in hiding.
- He faces charges of forgery and impersonation.
- President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into the agency.
- Forensic analysis confirmed the president's chief of staff's signature on Matthew's appointment letter was forged.
Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the self-proclaimed director general of a bogus government agency called the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has been arrested in Nigeria's Osun State after being on the run for weeks. The arrest followed a warrant issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Matthew faces charges of forgery and impersonation.
The case gained national attention after President Bola Tinubu ordered a corruption investigation into the fictitious agency. The presidency confirmed that forensic analysis revealed the signature of the president's chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Matthew's appointment letter had been forged.
Despite maintaining his innocence in media interviews and expressing fears for his safety, Matthew failed to appear at a court hearing. His lawyer informed the court that he had been unable to persuade his client to attend due to these safety concerns. The PFIPC had reportedly secured office space within the Federal Secretariat and appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of 1.3 billion naira. However, the Accountant-General's Office stated the agency never operated an account with the central bank or received any public funds.