Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana is set to take on the defence of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the man facing multiple criminal charges over an alleged forgery and impersonation scheme involving a fictitious federal agency and who has separately accused Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding a ₦400 million bribe.
The move is expected to sharpen public attention on the case as it heads to trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Adeyemi is accused of operating a non-existent government body variously referred to as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) from an office inside the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
According to police filings, he forged a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by Gbajabiamila, falsified official State House letterheads, and maintained 34 bank accounts in the names of non-existent government agencies.
He was arrested on October 27, 2025, after Gbajabiamila petitioned the DSS and the police on October 17, 2025, alleging an elaborate forgery and impersonation scheme. The Nigeria Police Force subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two accomplices, identified only as Femi and Anu, who remain at large, at the Federal High Court on November 27, 2025.
For his part, Adeyemi alleges his prosecution followed a falling-out with Gbajabiamila over money. He claims Gbajabiamila demanded ₦400 million and an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment as head of the agency, and separately sought 48% of the agency’s ₦27.4 billion take-off grant.
He says he had already paid ₦400 million of an agreed ₦600 million through an intermediary who later died in a hotel fire.
The Presidency has firmly denied the allegations. In a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, officials described Adeyemi as a fraudster with “a history of fraudulent misrepresentation” who built a web of false claims to deceive government officials and the public.
Gbajabiamila has repeatedly and formally denied ever appointing Adeyemi, noting his office does not issue federal appointments.
Falana, meanwhile, has argued that the executive cannot clear anyone in the matter and has called for an independent probe of both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi, questioning how a supposedly fictitious agency ended up with budget allocations running into billions of naira.
“Presidential Council Scandal”: Adeyemi Says He’s Ready for Court
“If I’m wrong, let the court of law decide that. If I’m right, let the court of law do the right thing.”
Adeyemi says he is prepared to defend himself in court over the ongoing controversy, insisting he is ready to face the legal process.
However, the incident is generating heated discussion online.
Mr Roland Ajayi @roland_ajayi said: “He has an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the President. His office is located at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. He has over 300 staff under him, paid by the Federal Government. His office has a budget under the president’s office running into billions.
Yakubu Jos @YakubuBanta said: “ Court litigation may yet reveal more to Nigerians about the depth of this saga. We will know who the insider is behind ensuring he got the office, gets allocation within budget, etc. Femi might be implicated more than this.”
DIKO @Dikoboy1 said: “ If we have a serious government that doesn’t shield and enable thieves, is Gbaja not supposed to have been relieved of his appointment? The incessant embarrassment he brings to this government is too much.”
𝝗𝝝𝝗𝝗𝝭 @sammymeeky states: “The Presidency cannot extrajudicially clear anyone. We need an independent panel to probe the Chief of Staff and the defendant to get to the root of these 34 illegal bank accounts.” #Securitynewsalert.com
