…Adeyemi is a serial con artist, has a date with the law, says Onanuga
By Yinka Giwa
The Presidency has firmly exonerated the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, from allegations of bribery, fraud and abuse of office levelled against him by self-styled government official, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, describing the claims as false, malicious and the latest twist in an elaborate fraud allegedly perpetrated by the accused.
In a detailed statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency insisted that Gbajabiamila had no relationship whatsoever with Adeyemi or the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, stressing that the Chief of Staff was, in fact, the official who alerted security agencies to the activities of the alleged impostor months before his arrest.
According to Onanuga, the Office of the Chief of Staff first petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police on October 17, 2025, after receiving complaints that forged appointment letters purportedly originating from the office were being used to establish a fake government agency and deceive both Nigerians and foreign diplomats.
The Presidency said investigations revealed that Adeyemi had been presenting himself as Director-General of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, operating from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja while holding meetings with diplomats and seeking official diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Onanuga said the Chief of Staff’s petition warned security agencies that the activities of the alleged fraudster threatened the integrity of the Presidency and undermined confidence in official government communications.
He disclosed that the petition was accompanied by forged appointment letters, fabricated official documents, and evidence of the suspect’s engagements with unsuspecting members of the public.
The Presidency further revealed that concerns over the activities of the fake agency had independently reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, on October 15, 2025, sought clarification from both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff after Adeyemi convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge or approval.
According to the statement, the ministry described the meeting as a violation of established diplomatic protocols.
Onanuga said the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation subsequently requested clarification from the Chief of Staff following enquiries from government institutions regarding the status of Adeyemi’s purported appointment.
He noted that Gbajabiamila categorically denied issuing any appointment letter, stressing that the Office of the Chief of Staff neither creates government agencies nor issues appointment letters, responsibilities constitutionally vested in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The statement said the Chief of Staff reiterated in another official communication dated November 5, 2025, that neither Adeyemi nor the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was known to his office, while directing security agencies to intensify investigations into the matter.
According to the Presidency, police investigations culminated in Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at the Abuja office from where he allegedly operated the fraudulent scheme.
Searches conducted at both his office and residence in Suleja reportedly yielded forged appointment letters and several incriminating documents.
Onanuga disclosed that during interrogation, Adeyemi claimed one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola procured the fake appointment letter for him. However, police investigations established that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja five days before Adeyemi’s arrest, with officers confirming his death at the morgue.
The Presidency said police investigations established that the agency headed by Adeyemi never existed, that the appointment letter was forged, and that he fraudulently represented himself as a presidential appointee while seeking official diplomatic assistance to facilitate United States visas.
Investigators also reportedly uncovered 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to Adeyemi, including nine accounts opened in the names of fictitious government agencies.
The statement further disclosed that the suspect allegedly succeeded in opening a Central Bank of Nigeria account using forged documents presented to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although investigators confirmed that no government funds were transferred into the account.
According to the police report cited by the Presidency, Adeyemi’s actions amounted to criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, bringing the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Presidency into disrepute.
Following the conclusion of investigations, police filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices on November 27, 2025. The matter is scheduled for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency explained that Adeyemi was already on police bail when he resurfaced with fresh allegations claiming Gbajabiamila had personally appointed him to head the fictitious agency.
Onanuga described the latest allegations as a complete contradiction of the suspect’s earlier statement to investigators and said the renewed claims prompted the Chief of Staff to issue another public disclaimer on June 8, reaffirming that Adeyemi was an impostor.
The Presidential spokesman further accused Adeyemi of having a long history of fraudulent misrepresentation, recalling that in 2016 he falsely claimed to have been elected President-General of a supposed World Youth Organisation allegedly affiliated with the United Nations, a claim later disowned by the UN.
Onanuga urged politicians and members of the public not to lend credibility to Adeyemi’s allegations against Gbajabiamila, insisting that the matter was already before the court.
He maintained that the Presidency’s position remained unchanged: the Chief of Staff neither appointed Adeyemi nor had any dealings with the fictitious agency, while the accused would have the opportunity to answer the allegations against him before the court.