By Admin Thursday, 2nd July 2026
Nigerians have continued to express disbelief and outrage following revelations by the Presidency that a man accused of impersonation and forgery allegedly operated a non-existent federal agency from an office inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja for months without detection.
The controversy centres on Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who the Presidency alleges created and operated a fictitious agency known as the "Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council" while presenting himself as its Director-General.
According to the Presidency, the agency had no legal existence within the Federal Government structure and was never approved by any authority.
Yet the allegations suggest the purported agency allegedly occupied office space within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, held meetings with stakeholders, interacted with foreign diplomats and even sought diplomatic privileges normally reserved for recognised government officials.
The revelations have triggered widespread public debate, with many Nigerians asking how such an operation could allegedly function within one of the country's most secured administrative environments without immediate detection.
Among the questions being raised are how office space was allegedly obtained within the Federal Secretariat, how meetings with diplomats were organised, and whether existing verification procedures within government institutions were bypassed or ignored.
According to the Presidency, concerns first emerged after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission reportedly noticed overlapping responsibilities between the alleged agency and existing government institutions.
Subsequent investigations allegedly revealed that forged appointment letters, official seals and government reference numbers had been used to create legitimacy for the organisation and its activities.
The Presidency further alleged that the suspect held meetings with foreign ambassadors and sought diplomatic support for visa applications for members of the purported agency's staff.
Security agencies later arrested Adeyemi at the Federal Secretariat office where he was allegedly operating from, while searches reportedly uncovered forged government documents and related materials.
Investigators also alleged that 34 bank accounts linked to the suspect were discovered, including several reportedly opened in the names of non-existent government agencies.
The case has since moved before the courts, where the defendant and two others are facing charges connected to the allegations.
However, beyond the criminal allegations themselves, many observers say the bigger issue is what the case may reveal about weaknesses in institutional verification processes, access controls and inter-agency communication within the federal bureaucracy.
For many Nigerians, one question continues to dominate discussions:
If the allegations are eventually proven in court, how was such an elaborate operation able to function in the heart of the Federal Government's administrative headquarters for so long without being uncovered?
That question, many argue, may prove as significant as the criminal trial itself.