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The Presidency has dismissed allegations of bribery levelled against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, describing them as false and the handiwork of a man allegedly posing as the Director-General of a non-existent government agency.

The Presidency was reacting to allegations made by the acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Adeyemi had accused Gbajabiamila of demanding ₦27.4 billion as a take-off grant for the agency and alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million through proxies to facilitate his appointment, with an outstanding balance of ₦200m.

The claimant had also urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent panel to investigate the allegations and compel the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the outcome of the probe.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the allegations, accusing Adeyemi of peddling falsehood.

“We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Onanuga said.

He explained that the Office of the Chief of Staff was the first to alert security agencies about the existence of the alleged fake agency after complaints were received from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission that another body appeared to be operating at cross-purposes with it.

“The office of the Chief of Staff to the President first blew the whistle on the existence of the illegal agency, following complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council that another government agency appeared to be functioning at cross-purposes with it,” he said.

According to Onanuga, Gbajabiamila, on October 17, 2025, wrote to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force, requesting an investigation into individuals allegedly forging appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.

“The Chief of Staff, on October 17, in a letter, asked the DSS and the Police to probe the activities of ‘fraudsters and imposters’ forging appointment letters purportedly from his office.

“The letter to the security agencies was accompanied by a copy of the forged appointment letter, a copy of the request for a note verbal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and pictures of engagements obtained from the illegal agency’s website,” he stated.

Onanuga added that concerns over the purported agency had also been raised within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He disclosed that in a letter dated October 15, 2025, and signed by Ambassador Anderson Madubuike, the ministry sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff regarding the status of Adeyemi’s agency after he reportedly met with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja without the ministry’s involvement.

He further explained that the Office of the National Security Adviser subsequently wrote to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on October 20, while the OSGF later sought clarification from the Chief of Staff.

“On 29 October, the OSGF wrote to the Chief of Staff requesting clarification. ‘This has become expedient owing to several requests from governmental and non-governmental bodies seeking to ascertain the status of the appointment under consideration,’” Onanuga quoted.

The presidential spokesman maintained that Gbajabiamila had already informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he never issued any appointment letter to Adeyemi.

“Two days earlier, the Chief of Staff sent his own clear rebuttal to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, stating that he had never issued an appointment letter to Adeyemi as director general of the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

“The Chief of Staff could not have issued a letter of appointment to a non-existent agency. Moreover, the Chief of Staff does not make appointments or write letters, as these are the exclusive preserve of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” he added.

Onanuga also cited findings from the police investigation, alleging that Adeyemi forged documents and falsely presented himself as a government appointee.

“The police were able to establish that the agency Adeyemi purportedly headed was fictitious, that he forged his appointment letter and the documents recovered in his office and home, that he falsely paraded himself as a government appointee, and that he falsely solicited a note verbal from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to enable him and his staff to obtain US visas,” he said.

According to him, investigators also discovered that Adeyemi allegedly operated 34 bank accounts, including nine opened in the names of fictitious agencies.

Onanuga said the police further found that Adeyemi allegedly used fake documents to fraudulently open a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

He, however, noted that investigators established that no government funds had been paid into the account.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, permission to present evidence of her acquittal by the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom in her ongoing legal battle over forfeited assets.

Justice Inyang Ekwo approved the application on Wednesday after counsel to Alison-Madueke, Godwin Iyinbor, moved the motion and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicated it had no objection.

The EFCC was represented in court by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mofesomo Oyetibo.

The development follows the June 17 decision of the Southwark Crown Court in London, which discharged and acquitted the former minister of criminal bribery charges brought against her in the United Kingdom.

Alison-Madueke is currently challenging the forfeiture of her assets before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, with the EFCC listed as the sole respondent.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, both parties first regularised their court filings before Iyinbor sought leave to move a motion on notice filed on June 25.

According to the defence counsel, the application sought permission to file a further and supplementary affidavit to bring the UK court’s acquittal to the attention of the Federal High Court as a fresh and significant development in the case.

He also urged the court to deem the additional affidavit as properly filed and served.

Responding, Oyetibo confirmed that the EFCC had received the application but argued that it merely sought to inform the court of Alison-Madueke’s acquittal in the United Kingdom.

When Justice Ekwo asked whether the anti-graft agency intended to oppose the application, the EFCC’s counsel replied that the commission had no objection.

The court subsequently granted the application and adjourned the matter until October 6 for hearing.

Justice Ekwo also ruled that the EFCC’s preliminary objection and the substantive suit would be heard together on the next adjourned date.

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Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has appointed retired Major General Bala A. Isandu as his Special Adviser on Security as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s security system.

The appointment, which takes immediate effect, was announced by the Plateau State Government in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Before taking up the new role, Isandu served as Senior Special Assistant on Intelligence to the Minister of Defence and previously held the position of Director at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

According to the state government, the appointment is part of a wider restructuring initiative aimed at enhancing Plateau’s security architecture, improving the protection of lives and property, and boosting security across schools and other critical public institutions.

During his more than 30 years of military service, the retired general held several strategic intelligence positions and participated in both domestic and international security operations.

Governor Mutfwang congratulated Isandu and other newly appointed officials, expressing confidence in their ability to contribute meaningfully to the administration through their experience, professionalism and commitment to public service.

The governor also urged the new Special Adviser on Security to leverage his extensive military and intelligence background to support the government’s efforts to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous Plateau State.