Author: Gist Correspondent

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has alleged that internal collaborators within government institutions enabled suspected fraudster Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew to operate a fictitious federal agency, calling for a thorough investigation to expose those involved.

In a post on X on Friday, Ajayi described Adeniyi as an "irredeemable con artist" and accused him of attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his alleged criminal activities by making corruption allegations against him.

Adeniyi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, was arrested on October 27, 2025, at an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja. Security operatives reportedly recovered forged government documents during searches of his office and residence in Suleja.

Ajayi said the suspect exploited public perception by making corruption allegations against senior government officials to divert attention from the allegations against him.

According to the Presidency, the alleged fraud came to light after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission reported that a purported government body was carrying out functions similar to those assigned to the commission.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs also raised concerns after Adeniyi allegedly met with foreign ambassadors at a hotel in Abuja without the ministry's knowledge or involvement.

Ajayi argued that the case demonstrated that government institutions eventually detected and responded to the alleged fraud, noting that officials of the NIPC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the irregularities to the appropriate authorities.

Earlier, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga disclosed that on October 17, 2025, Gbajabiamila petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over forged appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.

The forged documents, bearing the Chief of Staff's signature, reference numbers and official seals, were allegedly used to legitimise the fictitious agency.

Police subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeniyi and two alleged accomplices before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025. The charges include conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and operating 34 bank accounts in the names of non-existent government agencies.

The defendant is scheduled to appear in court on July 27, 2026.

The Presidency further alleged that Adeniyi hosted meetings with foreign diplomats, sought diplomatic documentation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for purported staff members and opened a Central Bank account using false representations.

Ajayi urged investigators from the DSS, Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to identify and prosecute all internal collaborators who allegedly aided the operation of the fake agency, insisting that the criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled.