Nigerian President’s Fake Agency Boss Arrested After Weeks on the Run
By Mansur Abubakar – Abuja
A man who called himself the Director‑General of a fictitious council that was allegedly linked to the Nigerian presidency has been taken into custody after a manhunt that lasted for several weeks.
Adeyemi Matthew was seized in the south‑western state of Osun on Monday. Police say the operation involved officers from the Force Intelligence Department and the Intelligence Response Team, and that the suspect is expected to be flown into Abuja for questioning at the capital’s police headquarters.
A warrant was issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday after Adeyemi failed to appear at a hearing to face charges of forgery and impersonation. The court had requested that he explain how a council that was supposedly set up in 2024 to attract foreign investment managed to receive a $950,000 allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The President’s office said official-looking letters creating the agency were forged, citing forensic analysis that proved the signature of President Tinubu’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on the appointment letter had been fabricated. The agency, it added, had no record of opening an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria and never received public funds or salaries.
Civil society groups, opposition politicians and senior lawyers have demanded an independent inquiry into the scandal, arguing it highlights a larger problem of corruption in the administration. Adeyemi, who has maintained his innocence, said his life is in danger, a claim his lawyer Genesis Francis admitted was true in part, noting the suspect’s safety concerns had prevented him from attending the court hearing.
From his supposed occupation, Adeyemi alleged that the PFIPC had secured office space for itself within the Federal Secretariat and had opened multiple bank accounts under its name. Yet the Accountant‑General’s Office confirmed that the agency had never operated any account at the central bank and had not received any public money.
The case has captured the nation’s attention, especially after President Tinubu ordered a corruption investigation into the fictitious agency last week. It demonstrates how swiftly anonymous claims can be dismantled when forensic evidence and institutional checks are employed against fraudulent schemes.
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