The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered the identities of some civil servants who allegedly helped Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), to obtain government approvals and gain access to official financial and administrative systems.

It was gathered that this was contained in the ICPC interim investigation report on the PFIPC saga.

The findings by the ICPC revealed that Adeyemi was able to penetrate government structures through the help of forged documents and officials in several government institutions who processed its requests and facilitated approvals despite gaps in the required procedures.

Adeyemi began seeking formal recognition within government structures in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), supporting the applications with purported official documents, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument, and a letter on State House letterhead allegedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale.

However, ICPC investigators found that Akanbi Adewale did not exist. Forensic examination also showed that the letter attributed to him was signed by Adeyemi.

Despite these irregularities, the documents were used to process the applications.

According to Premium Times, the investigation probes the critical roles played by three civil servants in securing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the PFIPC.

The civil servants include Rose Achem, senior administrative officer to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Patricia Akhigbe, an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Mimi Abu, director of organisation design and development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

The findings revealed that Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the head of human resources of the PFIPC, even though Akhigbe was an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

The ICPC found that Achem, Akhigbe and Abu subsequently facilitated the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver through the OHCSF.

Adeyemi, it was found, paid Akhigbe 500,000 naira during Easter in 2025. The payment was described in the evidence as a “thank you for your support.”