‘PHANTOM’ COUNCIL SCANDAL: OAGF, presidency clash over CBN account as police arrest suspect’s father
The controversy surrounding the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has taken a dramatic turn, following a sharp contradiction between the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Presidency over the status of the council’s bank account.
This development coincides with a fresh police raid on the Ogbomoso family residence of the council’s embattled ‘Director General’, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, which led to the arrest of his elderly father.
The OAGF has flatly denied claims that the controversial council operates an active account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This directly contradicts an earlier statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who asserted that Adeyemi used forged documents to mislead the OAGF into opening a CBN account.
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Speaking on the matter, OAGF spokesperson Bawa Mokwa clarified that while an application to open the account was initiated after Adeyemi presented a dubious appointment letter, the process stalled completely.
“The account has not seen the light of day. It has not received one kobo because it was never fully activated. The Accountant-General has not released any money because there is no operational account for such payment,” Mokwa stated.
Mokwa further explained that no salaries have been paid to any staff members, adding that the council’s inclusion in the 2026 budget does not automatically guarantee fund releases without strict clearances from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office, and the IPPIS framework.
However, leaked documents cited by Premium Times tell a more complicated story, indicating that the OAGF had directed the CBN to open domiciliary accounts for the PFIPC as far back as July 2025, with the apex bank confirming the creation of dollar and pound accounts in August 2025.
Outrage over ‘arrest by proxy’ of Adeyemi’s father
As the legal and institutional battle rages, the Nigeria Police Force has come under heavy fire for raiding Adeyemi’s family home on Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, Ogbomoso. During the Monday morning operation, the police arrested Adeyemi’s father and a visiting family friend.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), strongly condemned the operation, stating there is no legal justification for substituted arrest.
“The father has been arrested. There is no legal basis for substituted arrests. The young man has promised to show up in court, so why arrest his father?” Falana questioned.
Legal experts have also weighed in, referencing Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which explicitly prohibits arresting individuals in lieu of a suspect. Efforts to get a reaction from the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The N1.3 billion budget mystery and Gbajabiamila’s denial
The PFIPC scandal raises deeper questions regarding public accountability and institutional loopholes within the current administration.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, issued a formal disclaimer denying the council’s existence in October 2025. Yet, two months later, the phantom council was listed in the N58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill with an allocation of N1.3 billion.
Adeyemi countered Gbajabiamila’s disclaimer during a June 25 press conference, alleging he paid N400 million through a proxy to the Chief of Staff to secure his appointment.
Olanrewaju Smart, an aide to Gbajabiamila, vehemently defended his boss, questioning why a whistleblower who facilitated Adeyemi’s arrest would take a bribe from him. He labeled the appointment letter a crude forgery.
Despite the institutional denial, a physical signboard of the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” was discovered by reporters mounted on the ground floor lobby of the Federal Secretariat Phase III in Abuja, sharing proximity with the Ministry of Health and the Office of the Special Adviser on Livestock Development.
As public demands for an independent inquiry intensify, investigative findings have pointed out several highly placed officials and regulatory bodies whose approvals enabled the phantom council to operate seamlessly for months.
For instance, the presidency and budget office allowed a non-existent entity into the federal budget. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), specifically the banking services department, facilitated the initial opening of the council’s domiciliary accounts. The officeof the accountant-general of the federation (OAGF) where directors, especially the director of treasury inspectorate, approved self-accounting status for the council, and the director of administration, deployed treasury officers to the unit. Meanwhile, NITDA approved the official government domain credentials (pfipc.gov.ng) used for the council’s website, and the Nigeria Police Force delayed in prosecuting the case since investigations were reportedly concluded in November 2025.
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi is expected to finally appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, where the legal parameters of this multi-billion naira institutional embarrassment will be unraveled.
