REPS UNCOVER 58 ACCOUNTS, PROBE ALLEGED N400M DEAL LINKED TO FAKE AGENCY

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

The committee also identified an alleged N400m transaction involving a company that claimed Adeyemi collected the money in four instalments after allegedly promising to secure a government contract.

Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, said preliminary findings showed that more than 30 of the accounts were operated in the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations and related organisations allegedly connected to Adeyemi.

Gagdi said the committee was still examining account mandates, beneficial ownership, signatories and transaction histories, stressing that the discovery did not mean every account or transaction was unlawful.

He said the investigation had also found no Act of the National Assembly, gazetted enactment, presidential executive order or other lawful instrument establishing the purported council. The committee alleged that documents used to establish the agency contained evidence of fabrication, forgery and unauthorised representations.

According to Gagdi, a purported appointment letter for Adeyemi was neither issued nor signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. The committee consequently exonerated Gbajabiamila, saying evidence showed that he alerted relevant security and investigative agencies after receiving reports about the organisation.

The panel also alleged that the purported agency occupied government accommodation, operated a website presenting itself as a federal institution and used the names and photographs of President Bola Tinubu and other senior officials without authorisation.

About 39 people were reportedly presented as employees of the organisation, with the committee investigating their recruitment, appointment letters, identity cards, remuneration and allegations of payments being demanded from prospective workers.

Gagdi said the committee had recommended that government agencies stop recognising or transacting with the purported council until its legal status was independently verified. It also called for the preservation and investigation of the identified accounts and transactions, including possible freezing and recovery of proceeds where unlawful conduct is established.

The chairman stressed that the findings were preliminary and did not amount to a determination of criminal guilt. He said the final report would identify institutional and individual responsibilities and recommend appropriate action after affected persons had been given a fair hearing.