The House of Representatives Committee investigating the activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has uncovered what it described as a network of allegedly forged government documents linked to the controversial organisation.
During a resumed investigative hearing on Monday at the National Assembly, lawmakers revealed that about 29 documents purportedly issued by key government institutions are suspected to have been forged in an alleged bid to legitimise the council’s operations.
Committee Chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, disclosed that the documents include purported approvals from the State House, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance, and other federal agencies.
According to Gagdi, representatives of many of the institutions whose names appeared on the documents have already appeared before the committee and denied issuing them.
The development followed testimony from the Nigeria Police Force, which confirmed that signatures on some of the disputed documents did not match authentic signatures obtained during its investigation.
When asked by lawmakers whether the signatures were identical, the police representative, Assistant Commissioner of Police Bashir Abdullahi, replied, “They are not the same.”
The committee said the findings have strengthened suspicions that official government documents, including what was described as a purported Act of the National Assembly establishing the council, may have been forged.
Police also confirmed that investigations were initiated after petitions from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President alleged that Adeyemi Adeniyi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Investigators alleged that Adeniyi used the claimed position to secure office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat, seek approval to recruit about 300 personnel, pursue a ₦1.32 billion budget allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act for the council, and plan a World Investment Summit under the platform of the organisation.
Meanwhile, the House Committee has directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeniyi before lawmakers by 12 noon on Wednesday to answer questions relating to the ongoing investigation.
The police told the committee that Adeniyi has already been arrested, arraigned before the Federal High Court on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud, and that the criminal case remains pending.
