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Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of forging government appointment letters and posing as the Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has claimed that his life is in danger following the controversy surrounding the agency.
Adeyemi made the claim a day after the Presidency described him as a "con artist" and announced that he would face trial over allegations of forgery and impersonation.
Speaking on Thursday, Adeyemi denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the government was attempting to silence him.
"They are now after my life. I have gone into hiding. I'm underground. I don't consider myself safe," he said, while alleging that the dispute stemmed from his refusal to surrender 48 per cent of the agency's take-off grant.
He also claimed he paid N400 million to secure his appointment and still owed a balance of N200 million.
The controversy began after the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, declared on June 11 that the PFIPC was not an agency of the Tinubu administration.
However, reports indicate that the council received a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Wednesday, maintained that Adeyemi had no official mandate, describing him as an impostor under investigation by security agencies.
According to Onanuga, Adeyemi and two others have been arraigned before the Federal High Court on an eight-count charge filed on November 27, 2025, with the matter scheduled for hearing on July 27.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation granted the controversial council a waiver in August 2025 to recruit 300 workers despite the federal government's embargo on employment.
The approval, contained in a letter signed by the Director of Organisation Design and Development, Mimi Abu, authorised the recruitment of directors, assistant directors and other staff, subject to compliance with existing civil service regulations.
Also reacting to the controversy, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised the Presidency's explanation, arguing that it raised more questions than answers.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said it was difficult to believe that an individual could allegedly forge presidential documents, operate from the Federal Secretariat, engage foreign diplomats and have a council reportedly included in the national budget without institutional support.
He urged the Presidency to provide a clear explanation for the reported N1.3 billion budget allocation to the PFIPC if, as it claimed, the agency never existed.
