Reps Probe 58 Accounts, N400m Deal Linked to Detained PFIPC DG

The House of Representatives committee investigating the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has uncovered 58 bank accounts allegedly linked to its detained Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

The committee also disclosed an alleged N400 million transaction involving a company which it said may have been induced to make payments based on representations that Adeyemi could secure a government contract for the renovation, furnishing or improvement of an official residence.

Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, Yusuf Gagdi, made the disclosures on Wednesday in Abuja while presenting the panel’s preliminary findings to parliamentary correspondents.

Gagdi said preliminary information obtained from financial and investigative institutions showed that Adeyemi’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other identifying details were linked to a network of personal, corporate, organisational and foundation accounts.

More than 30 of the 58 accounts, he said, appeared to have been operated in the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations and other entities associated with Adeyemi.

Among the entities identified were the Confederation of United Nations Youths, FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership, FCT Investment Promotion Council and Public-Private Partnership, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, United Nations Youth Global Agency, United Nations Youth Global Foundation and World United Nations Youth Global Foundation.

Others include World Entrepreneurship University Limited, World Enterprise University Limited, FCT Investment Promotion Act, FCT Promotion Agency and Olubadan of Ibadan Foundation.

The committee, however, cautioned that the discovery did not by itself establish that all the accounts, organisations or transactions were illegal.

Gagdi said the panel was still reconciling registration documents, account mandates, beneficial ownership details, signatories and transaction records to establish who actually controlled the organisations and accounts.

He said the similarities in the names, objectives, management structures, signatories and banking relationships of several of the entities had nevertheless raised concerns about a possible coordinated pattern.

According to him, the committee was investigating whether some of the organisations were created or deployed to give an appearance of official credibility, solicit funds, obtain recognition or induce members of the public to part with money.

The alleged N400 million transaction was identified as one of the major areas of concern.

Gagdi said a company had alleged that Adeyemi induced it to make payments in four instalments after claiming he could secure a contract relating to the renovation, furnishing or improvement of a purported official residence allocated to him as PFIPC Director-General.

The committee is now tracing the funds and investigating the identities of the account holders and beneficial owners, as well as determining whether public officers or private individuals participated in or benefited from the transaction.

Gagdi said that if the allegations were established through proper investigation and judicial proceedings, they could amount to offences including fraudulent misrepresentation, obtaining money by false pretence, impersonation, conspiracy, forgery and the concealment or movement of proceeds of crime.

Beyond the financial investigation, the committee said it had found no evidence that the PFIPC was lawfully established.

Gagdi said the panel found no Act of the National Assembly, gazetted enactment, Presidential Executive Order or other lawful instrument creating the purported council.

He further alleged that documents used to establish the organisation’s claimed authority contained evidence of fabrication, forgery, mutilation, impersonation and unauthorised representation of government institutions and public officials.

Among the documents under scrutiny are a purported presidential appointment letter for Adeyemi, an alleged Executive Order and a document presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing the organisation.

According to Gagdi, information obtained from the State House indicated that the purported appointment letter was neither issued nor signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The committee also found that the letterhead and reference number used on the document were inconsistent with official State House correspondence.

The findings consequently cleared Gbajabiamila of allegations that he authorised, established or participated in the activities of the purported council.

Gagdi said the committee had found no documentary evidence linking the Chief of Staff to the establishment or activities of the organisation.

“The documentary evidence presently before the Committee does not establish that the Chief of Staff authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation,” he said.

Rather, the committee found that Gbajabiamila had contacted relevant security and investigative agencies after receiving alerts about the organisation.

Gagdi listed the Nigeria Police Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission among the agencies contacted.

The committee also exonerated National Assembly committees responsible for budget scrutiny from culpability, while shifting attention to how an organisation allegedly lacking legal backing obtained apparent recognition and budgetary treatment within government structures.

### How alleged council gained official appearance

The investigation also examined how the purported PFIPC allegedly presented itself as a Federal Government institution.

According to the committee, the organisation occupied office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat Complex and operated a website portraying it as a government agency.

It also allegedly used the names, offices and photographs of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other senior government officials without authorisation.

The committee said about 39 people were presented as employees of the purported organisation.

Their recruitment, appointment letters, identity cards and remuneration are now being examined, alongside allegations that some prospective employees were required to make payments before being offered employment.

Gagdi said the developments had exposed weaknesses in the verification of government institutions, the creation of administrative and budget codes, authentication of official correspondence, allocation of government accommodation and processing of official-looking vehicle number plates.

To prevent similar incidents, the committee recommended that Ministries, Departments and Agencies immediately stop recognising or conducting official transactions with the PFIPC or any related entity whose legal status had not been independently verified.

It also called for an end to the processing of appropriations, administrative codes, warrants, cash backing, financial releases or government facilities in favour of the purported organisation.

The committee further asked financial institutions and investigative agencies to preserve account records, transaction histories, mandates and beneficial ownership information connected to the persons and entities under investigation.

It called for the prompt conclusion of criminal and financial investigations and prosecution where sufficient admissible evidence is established.

The panel also recommended the tracing, preservation, freezing and recovery of assets or proceeds linked to any unlawful conduct, subject to the law and necessary judicial authorisation.

Gagdi commended the Nigeria Police Force, DSS, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser for their assistance in the investigation.

The committee proposed enhanced authentication procedures for the creation of government institutions and administrative and budget codes, as well as correspondence purportedly originating from the Presidency and other high offices.

It further recommended a secure central digital platform through which the legal status, establishing instrument and existence of every Federal Government institution could be independently verified.

The alleged N400 million transaction, Gagdi said, should undergo a separate and comprehensive investigation, including efforts to trace and recover any funds established to be proceeds of unlawful activity.

The committee will continue examining the ownership and control of the identified accounts, the alleged transaction, the purported official residence, special number plates, government accommodation and the roles of individuals connected with the matter.

Gagdi stressed that the findings presented were preliminary and should not be interpreted as a final determination of criminal guilt, which remains the responsibility of courts of competent jurisdiction.

He said the committee would submit its final report to the House after its resumption from the two-month annual recess, after which lawmakers would decide whether to adopt, amend or reject the recommendations.

The chairman said the investigation was ultimately aimed at protecting the integrity of government institutions and preventing individuals or organisations from falsely assuming governmental authority.

“The Presidency cannot be impersonated with impunity,” Gagdi said.

He added that the final report would identify institutional and individual responsibilities and propose appropriate legislative, administrative, disciplinary, civil, financial and prosecutorial measures, subject to the decision of the House and due process.