The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified four civil servants it says allegedly helped Adeniyi Adeyemi, director-general of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), secure government approvals and access to official systems.

The findings are contained in an interim investigation report on the PFIPC controversy ordered by President Bola Tinubu after the Presidency disowned both the organisation and Adeyemi.

According to the ICPC, the purported agency was able to operate within government structures not only through documents investigators believe were forged, but also through the actions of officials who processed its requests despite apparent gaps in the required procedures.

Adeyemi began seeking formal recognition from government institutions in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The applications were supported with documents presented as official records, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter on State House letterhead purportedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale.

The ICPC said its investigation found that Akanbi Adewale did not exist and that forensic examination indicated that the letter attributed to him was actually signed by Adeyemi.

Despite the irregularities, the documents were processed. On May 27, 2025, the OAGF granted the organisation self-accounting status and assigned it administrative code 0111062001, alongside establishment and recruitment waiver arrangements.

The approvals enabled the purported PFIPC to be included in the 2026 federal budget and gain access to government financial systems. The OAGF subsequently created a Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform and a Sub-Treasury Account for the organisation.

The OAGF also issued a mandate to the CBN, following a request from the PFIPC, to create two domiciliary accounts. The CBN later told the House of Representatives that the accounts were not activated because the organisation failed to provide authorised signatories.

The ICPC examined the roles of Rose Achem, a senior administrative officer to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Patricia Akhigbe, an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Mimi Abu, director of organisation design and development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

The commission said Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the PFIPC's head of human resources, although Akhigbe was an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

Investigators said the introduction was made to help the purported council obtain authorised establishment and recruitment waiver approval.

The ICPC said Achem, Akhigbe and Abu subsequently facilitated the approvals through the OHCSF. It also found that Adeyemi paid Akhigbe N500,000 during Easter in 2025, with the payment described as a "thank you for your support."

According to the investigation, the authorised establishment was granted on the same day the three officials met.

The commission said it found no evidence that the PFIPC had formally applied for an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. Instead, Abu, Achem and Akhigbe allegedly proceeded with the approvals outside the required process.

When investigators requested the relevant file from the OHCSF, the office reportedly said it was missing.

The ICPC also examined Abu's involvement because her department handles authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers for federal government organisations.

Under the established procedure, new government organisations seeking approval are expected to provide documents setting out their mandate and establishment instruments, as well as the appointment letter of their head.

The investigation found that Achem and Akhigbe met Abu on behalf of the PFIPC and presented what investigators described as forged establishment instruments and a forged appointment letter for Adeyemi.

Abu reportedly described the appointment letter, which was said to have been issued by the Chief of Staff to the President, as an "aberration." She told investigators she could not recall another government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by a Chief of Staff.

When the PFIPC representatives could not upload the required documents through the OHCSF portal, they submitted physical copies of the disputed appointment letter and purported enabling instruments.

The ICPC also found that although the PFIPC requested the deployment of staff in a letter dated May 9, 2025, the OHCSF neither approved nor carried out any deployment. Records from its Enterprise Content Management System showed that no officers were deployed to the organisation.

The investigation also examined how Adeyemi secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat.

The ICPC focused on Aminu Abdullahi, an official responsible for office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

According to the report, Abdullahi was introduced to Adeyemi in March 2025 by Ibrahim Abdulkadir, a deputy director in General Services. The purpose was to guide Adeyemi through the process of obtaining office space at the Federal Secretariat.

The commission said Abdullahi allocated offices previously occupied by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at Federal Secretariat Phase III for the PFIPC's temporary use without obtaining written approval.

Only two keys were available for the offices. The investigation found that Abdullahi broke the locks on the remaining doors to give Adeyemi access to the other spaces.

The ICPC also traced financial transactions between the two men. An analysis of Abdullahi's bank statement showed that he received N3.25 million from Adeyemi in three instalments between March and November 2025, according to the commission.

The investigation has also widened beyond the PFIPC.

The ICPC uncovered what it described as another suspected fake agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, which allegedly operated within the OSGF.

President Tinubu subsequently ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze.

ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said investigators found that Nwabueze operated under several variations of his name and that suspected collaborators within the OSGF were involved.

The commission said forged legislative instruments were allegedly used to make the entities appear legitimate and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in their names.

The discovery has raised broader questions about the systems used by government institutions to verify organisations claiming to be federal agencies.

The commission said its investigation identified weaknesses in civil service procedures that allegedly allowed the purported PFIPC to secure official approvals.

It found that the OHCSF's standard operating procedure did not adequately require newly established federal institutions to submit relevant establishment documents. The commission also identified weaknesses in the verification of documents presented by organisations seeking government recognition.

The self-accounting status granted by the OAGF was particularly significant because it brought the purported council into government financial reporting systems and strengthened its dealings with other public institutions.

The organisation was also listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of N1.3 billion, although Adeyemi later denied preparing the budget.

Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that his appointment was legitimate. He is facing an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.

The Presidency has maintained that neither the PFIPC nor Adeyemi received official recognition under the Tinubu administration.

The ICPC has recommended administrative action against Abu, Achem, Akhigbe and Abdullahi.