The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has commenced investigations into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council scandal.

This is as the man at the centre of the allegations, Adeniyi Adeyemi, called on President Bola Tinubu to set up a separate, independent panel to probe the matter.

The police are also set to arraign Adeyemi today before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a fresh charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.

ICPC spokesman, John Odey, confirmed on Monday that the commission had taken up the case and was capable of handling it alone or in partnership with other agencies.

“The matter has been given to us. We are working on it. The capacity of the ICPC to work on its own or in collaboration with other agencies has never been in doubt,” Odey said in an interview with our correspondent on Monday.

The probe follows a directive Tinubu issued last Tuesday, ordering the ICPC to investigate the fictitious PFIPC and the alleged N1.3bn insertion into the 2026 Appropriation Bill, with a report due within 30 days.

In an open letter dated July 13, Adeyemi welcomed the directive as a positive move but argued it fell short of guaranteeing a fair and credible process, since the ICPC ultimately answers to the same arm of government implicated in the allegations.

He described the directive as “a vital first step” but argued that an investigation conducted solely by the ICPC would not sufficiently guarantee public confidence.

“I commend your recent directive tasking the ICPC with investigating the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC scandal and N1.3bn allocation inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

“This directive is a vital first step, but the structural realities of this investigation compel me to speak out of a profound desire for absolute transparency,” he said.

Adeyemi, who is facing allegations in connection with the scandal, claimed that the existing framework would not provide him with a fair hearing.

“Under the current framework, obtaining a truly impartial hearing presents severe structural challenges.

“The public narrative emanating from official channels remains heavily weighted toward my immediate arrest, effectively overshadowing the gravity of the systemic vulnerabilities and high-level involvement I have brought to light.

He also alleged that surrendering to authorities under the current arrangement would endanger his life.

“I must state clearly that walking freely into custody under the current arrangement poses an immediate, existential threat to my life.

“I have received verified, highly reliable intelligence indicating that I am targeted for elimination the moment I surface in an unmonitored environment,” he claimed.

Adeyemi further questioned the reported death of Dolapo Tanimola, whom he described as “a central intermediary in this matter.”

He said, “My concerns are deeply validated by the highly alarming events surrounding Mr Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, a central intermediary in this matter.

“Official reports claim Tanimola tragically died in a sudden fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja.

“Yet, there remains a total absence of independent eyewitness or media verification of any such inferno. More disturbingly, under highly unclear circumstances and without the official involvement of any federal capital regulatory agency, the entire Kachi Hotel structure was swiftly invaded by unidentified armed actors and manually demolished down to the rubble days later, effectively erasing a vital physical crime scene and erasing material evidence.”

To ensure transparency, Adeyemi urged the President to establish an independent panel comprising representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, independent media organisations, international financial institutions, diplomatic missions, human rights groups, as well as the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as technical partners.

According to him, organisations such as Amnesty International, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom should be represented on the panel.

“The moment this independent, multi-stakeholder panel is constituted, I will immediately step forward to present comprehensive documentation and verifiable evidence.

“A system cannot credibly investigate itself when its own key actors are central to the discourse,” he said.

Adeyemi argued that constituting such a panel would strengthen public confidence in the investigation and demonstrate the Federal Government’s commitment to accountability. (The PUNCH)

Update news