NEWS
ICPC Uncovers Alleged Network of Civil Servants Behind PFIPC’s Penetration of Government Systems
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered what investigators describe as a network of civil servants who allegedly played key roles in helping Adeniyi Adeyemi, director-general of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, gain access to sensitive government approvals, financial structures and administrative facilities.
An interim investigation report by the anti-corruption agency into the PFIPC saga reportedly revealed how forged documents, questionable representations and alleged breaches of established procedures enabled the purported council to penetrate several layers of the Federal Government.
Investigators found that Adeyemi began making moves to secure formal recognition for the PFIPC as far back as November 2024. His applications to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation sought an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The applications were supported by documents presented as official government instruments, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter bearing the State House letterhead allegedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale.
However, the ICPC investigation reportedly uncovered a startling discovery: Akanbi Adewale did not exist.
Forensic examination further established that the letter purportedly issued by the non-existent official was allegedly signed by Adeyemi himself. Despite the apparent discrepancies, the documents were reportedly used in processing requests that would give the PFIPC access to important government administrative and financial systems. The investigation also focused on the alleged roles of three civil servants in helping the PFIPC secure an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. Those identified in the report include Rose Achem, a senior administrative officer attached 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.
According to the findings, Achem allegedly introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the head of human resources of the PFIPC, despite Akhigbe being an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. The three officials were subsequently alleged to have facilitated the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The investigation also traced a payment of ₦500,000 allegedly made by Adeyemi to Akhigbe during the Easter period of 2025. Evidence reviewed by investigators reportedly described the payment as a thank-you gesture for support rendered.
In another troubling discovery, the ICPC found that the PFIPC was granted authorised establishment approval on the same day the three officials reportedly met. Investigators reportedly found no evidence that the PFIPC formally applied for either an authorised establishment or a recruitment waiver through the required channels. Instead, the approvals were allegedly facilitated outside established procedures.
Abu’s role came under particular scrutiny because her department is responsible for matters relating to authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers across federal government organisations. Her directorate oversees critical units responsible for establishment and workforce planning, organisation design, job design and development, as well as rules and regulations. The investigation found that Achem and Akhigbe allegedly met with Abu on behalf of the PFIPC and presented documents investigators described as forged, including the purported establishment instrument and Adeyemi’s appointment letter. During questioning, Abu reportedly described the controversial appointment letter, said to have emanated from the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, as an aberration. She reportedly stated that she could not recall any other government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff.
The ICPC probe also extended to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, where investigators examined the alleged role of an official responsible for office allocation, Aminu Abdullahi.
Abdullahi was reportedly responsible for coordinating office allocations for political appointees within the OSGF, a process that ordinarily requires requests to pass through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary in the General Services Office and the Director of General Services for necessary action. Investigators found that a deputy director in General Services, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, allegedly introduced Abdullahi to Adeyemi in March 2025 to assist the PFIPC chief in securing office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat. This reportedly followed an unsuccessful attempt to secure accommodation through a request made on behalf of the PFIPC to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The ICPC investigation found that Abdullahi allegedly allocated offices previously occupied by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at the Federal Secretariat Phase III for the temporary use of the PFIPC. The allocation was reportedly made without written approval.
An examination of Abdullahi’s bank records also reportedly showed that he received a total of ₦3.25 million from Adeyemi in three separate tranches between March and November 2025. The interim findings have thrown fresh light on how the now-disowned PFIPC allegedly gained access to official government structures, secured administrative recognition and obtained facilities despite what investigators described as forged documents, non-existent officials and apparent violations of established procedures.
The investigation is expected to further unravel the full extent of the alleged collaboration and determine the level of culpability of all individuals connected to the controversial PFIPC operation.