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Nigerian Police Arrest Man Accused of Forging Documents to Create Fake Agency
Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was detained in Osun State after weeks in hiding. He had called himself director general of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council. A court warrant was issued after he missed a hearing on forgery charges.
Jul 15, 5:42 AM·1m read1 source
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Nigerian police arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew in Osun State after he spent weeks in hiding. He had presented himself as director general of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council. The arrest came after a warrant was issued Tuesday by the Federal High Court in Abuja when he failed to appear at a hearing on forgery and impersonation charges.
President Bola Tinubu ordered a corruption investigation into the agency last week. Tinubu's office stated that an official-looking letter creating the PFIPC was fake. Police forensic analysis confirmed that the signature of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila on the disputed appointment letter had been forged.
Operatives from the Force Intelligence Department and Intelligence Response Team carried out the arrest. The suspect is expected to be taken to police headquarters in Abuja for further questioning. Police had launched a manhunt after the allegations surfaced.
Adeyemi maintained his innocence in interviews with local media. "My life is in danger," he said according to local reports. His lawyer Genesis Francis told the court he had been unable to persuade his client to attend the hearing due to safety fears.
The PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of 1.3bn naira. The Accountant-General's Office stated the agency had never operated an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria and had received no public funds or salaries. Court documents accuse Adeyemi and two others of using forged documents to establish the council, opening multiple bank accounts in its name and seeking official recognition for the non-existent agency.
