The Presidency has described claims by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew that he was appointed Director-General of a Presidential Economic Advisory Council as false, insisting that both the appointment and the agency he claims to head are fictitious.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Adeyemi had been under police investigation since 2025 for allegedly forging official documents, impersonating government officials and operating a non-existent government agency.
According to the statement, the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President first alerted security agencies after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission raised concerns that another agency was operating alongside it under suspicious circumstances.
The Chief of Staff, in a petition dated October 17, 2025, asked the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate what he described as the activities of “fraudsters and imposters” forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the petition read.
It added that the forged documents were being used to claim leadership appointments in non-existent entities, particularly the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, allegedly headed by Adeyemi.
The Presidency said the fake organisation maintained an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, held meetings with Nigerian and foreign stakeholders and even requested a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate visa applications for some of its members.
According to the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also raised concerns after Adeyemi reportedly met with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge or approval.
“This act contravenes extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practices globally,” the ministry was quoted as saying.
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) subsequently sought clarification from the Chief of Staff, who denied ever appointing Adeyemi or recognising the agency.
The Presidency stressed that appointments into federal offices are not made by the Chief of Staff, but by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
On November 5, 2025, the Chief of Staff again denied any knowledge of Adeyemi or the organisation.
“Prince Adeniyi Matthew… is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council,” he wrote.
Police investigations later led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at the office where he allegedly operated the organisation.
According to the statement, investigators recovered forged appointment letters and other documents during searches conducted at his office and residence in Suleja.
The police also alleged that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious government agencies, and fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. However, investigators said no government funds were paid into the account.
“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community,” the police report stated.
Based on the findings, the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two other suspects at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency said Adeyemi recently renewed claims that he had been appointed by the Chief of Staff despite previously admitting during police interrogation that another individual had assisted him in procuring the alleged appointment letter.
Describing Adeyemi as “a con artist,” the Presidency also recalled that in 2016 he allegedly presented himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation, claiming it was affiliated with the United Nations, before the UN reportedly denied the existence of such an organisation.
The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to rely on Adeyemi’s claims while the matter remains before the court, saying they should allow the judicial process to run its course.