ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and all matters connected to its operations.
The President also directed the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
The directive was conveyed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the investigation followed the discovery that the PFIPC was a fictitious organisation which was never established by the Federal Government and had no legal backing.
The Presidency stated that the council “has no basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval or any other lawful act of government.”
It further alleged that one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the organisation and claimed to be a presidential appointee.
According to the statement, the ICPC has been mandated to investigate several issues, including the alleged forgery of appointment letters and other official government documents, the use of false claims of presidential appointment to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.
The Presidency said the investigation would extend beyond the activities of the principal suspect to include all collaborators and any individuals or institutions that may have facilitated the alleged scheme.
“President Tinubu has directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy,” the statement said.
It added that investigators would examine the origin and use of the allegedly forged official documents, the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained, the opening and operation of any related bank accounts, the source and movement of funds, and the roles played by any public officials, private individuals, financial institutions, intermediaries or other entities connected to the matter.
President Tinubu also directed the Commission to identify any weaknesses within government systems and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and recommend immediate measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The statement further disclosed that all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government had been directed to cooperate fully with the ICPC by providing all relevant records, information and assistance required for the timely completion of the investigation.
According to the President, the integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be safeguarded against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses within the public service.