The Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Governance (CTAG) has called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and other anti-corruption agencies to immediately arrest and investigate Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi over what it described as a dangerous pattern of impersonation, misinformation, cocktail of blackmail, and attempts to undermine public institutions.
CTAG Condemns Reckless Allegations
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Sunday Itodo, on Tuesday, CTAG condemned the reckless and scandalous allegations made by Adeyemi against the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. The group insisted that such claims must not go uninvestigated.
According to CTAG, the categorical disclaimer issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, stating that no agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council exists under the Presidency, raises serious questions about the authenticity of Adeyemi's claims and activities.
Demand for Evidence of Appointment
CTAG challenged Adeyemi to make public, without delay, his purported appointment letter as Head of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The group stated: "If indeed such an agency exists and Prince Adeyemi was legitimately appointed to head it, he should publish his appointment letter and disclose the authority under which the appointment was made."
Adeyemi had further claimed that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved no fewer than 300 staff members for the take-off of the agency. CTAG demanded that Adeyemi immediately publish the list of the alleged 300 staff, indicate where and when their recruitment was advertised, provide evidence of their appointments, disclose the payroll platform on which they are being remunerated, and state the source of funds used in paying them.
Questions Over CBN Account and N600 Million Payment
The group also questioned Adeyemi's assertion that the agency maintains an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). CTAG said: "If there is indeed a CBN account in the name of this purported agency, Nigerians must know who authorised the opening of such account, who the signatories are, and under what legal instrument the account was created. The CBN should equally clarify whether any account exists in the name of the said agency and furnish the public with relevant details within the ambit of the law."
On the allegation that Adeyemi paid N600 million to secure the position through a third party allegedly linked to the Chief of Staff, CTAG described the claim as weighty and incapable of being left in the realm of speculation. The group demanded that Adeyemi provide documentary evidence of the transactions, including bank transfer records, payment receipts, account details, dates of payment, identities of intermediaries involved, and any communication establishing the alleged arrangement.
Call for Thorough Investigation
CTAG maintained that public office holders must be held accountable where evidence exists, but stressed that unfounded allegations, blackmail, and deliberate attempts to tarnish reputations for pecuniary or other ulterior motives should be firmly resisted. The group urged security agencies to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into all the claims made by Prince Adeyemi and ensure that anyone found culpable of impersonation, fraud, false information, or criminal defamation is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
"The integrity of the Presidency and public institutions must be protected from individuals seeking to exploit them for personal gain or notoriety," the statement added.
