Reps Give IGP 48hrs To Produce ‘Fake’ Agency DG Adeyemi

Reps Give IGP 48hrs To Produce ‘Fake’ Agency DG Adeyemi
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Reps Give IGP 48hrs To Produce ‘Fake’ Agency DG Adeyemi

The House of Representatives Committee investigating the operations of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council has directed the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to produce the self-acclaimed Director-General of the organisation, Adeyemi Adeniyi, before it on Wednesday.

The directive was issued on Monday during the resumed investigative hearing at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

Representing the IG, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, appeared before the committee and was instructed to ensure Adeyemi’s appearance by noon on Wednesday to assist lawmakers in their ongoing investigation into the activities of the organisation.

The committee is probing the circumstances under which the PFIPC, despite not being legally established, allegedly secured office accommodation in Phase III of the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and received a budgetary allocation of ₦1.32bn in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The directive followed the Nigeria Police Force’s confirmation of key aspects of its criminal investigation, including petitions from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President alleging that Adeyemi fraudulently presented himself as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

The Committee Chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, said Adeyemi’s appearance had become imperative given the seriousness of the allegations and the institutions implicated in the matter.

“This committee clearly needs the suspected DG to appear before this committee. People’s names are involved. People’s integrity are involved. Institutional names are involved. Institutional integrity is involved.

“It is not an option now. We will need him here to confirm some documents to us in such a way that will not undermine our investigation to enable us to submit our report on time,” Gagdi said.

The committee subsequently directed its clerk to formally communicate its resolution to the Inspector-General of Police.

“The committee hereby resolves that the Inspector-General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria do kindly present Mr Adeyemi on Wednesday by 12 noon. That is the ruling of the committee,” Gagdi declared.

Earlier, ACP Abdullahi informed lawmakers that although investigations were ongoing, the police had already filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi before the Federal High Court.

“The Nigerian Police Force investigated part of this case late last year and filed eight-count charges before a Federal High Court. The case is ongoing,” he said.

He disclosed that the suspect had been arrested and arraigned, but cautioned against making public disclosures that could prejudice the ongoing investigation or judicial proceedings.

“We don’t want to say things that are under investigation. It is definitely going to prejudice the ongoing investigation and make people have opinions that may prejudge the outcome of an investigation or judicial decision,” Abdullahi stated.

Despite the police’s reservations, the committee sought confirmation of documentary evidence already in its possession.

The police confirmed that on October 17, 2025, the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned security agencies over allegations against Adeyemi, prompting investigations that culminated in criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and fraud.

Investigators also confirmed receiving another petition alleging that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

According to the police, the petition alleged that Adeyemi used the purported office to obtain accommodation within the Federal Secretariat, sought approval to recruit about 300 personnel, attempted to secure a $1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act for the non-existent agency, and planned to organise a World Investment Summit under the platform of the purported council.

One of the highlights of the hearing came when the committee compared signatures on documents allegedly issued from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President with signatures on authentic official correspondence obtained by the police.

When asked whether the signatures matched, the police witness responded unequivocally,”They are not the same.”

The committee said the discrepancy reinforced concerns that official State House documents may have been forged.

Gagdi further asked, “So, it is not only a letter that was suspected to be forged? We are dealing with documents that include what is said to be a forged Act of the National Assembly in an attempt to establish a fake agency,” he added.

Gagdi disclosed that investigators had identified about 29 allegedly forged documents, including purported approvals from the State House, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance and several other government institutions.

According to him, representatives of many of the affected agencies had already appeared before the committee and disowned the documents attributed to their offices.

Gagdi, however, stressed that the committee had deliberately avoided compelling the police to disclose information that could compromise ongoing criminal investigations.

“We are avoiding a situation whereby they will be pushed to make statements that will undermine their ongoing investigation,” he added.

He assured that the House investigation would continue independently and that its final report could recommend further action by relevant security agencies.

Credit: PUNCH

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Customs Unveils 3,852 Successful Recruits, Adopts Annual Employment Exercise The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise and unveiled plans to institutionalise annual recruitment to ensure continuous manpower renewal. Speaking at a press briefing, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the successful applicants were selected across three entry cadres, with 1,275 recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre. Adeniyi said the publication of the final list marks the successful conclusion of the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024. He apologised for the delay in completing the exercise, attributing it to the unprecedented number of applications received and the Service’s determination to conduct a transparent, credible and merit-driven recruitment process. According to the Customs boss, the Service received 573,680 applications for just 3,852 available positions, making the exercise one of the most competitive in the agency’s history. He explained that all applications underwent rigorous screening procedures, including computer-based examinations, verification of credentials against the National Identity database, and additional checks where inconsistencies were detected. He noted that candidates who made the final list would still undergo physical and medical examinations before receiving final approval from the Nigeria Customs Service Board. Adeniyi disclosed that the overall success rate was 0.67 per cent, meaning only one out of every 148 applicants secured a place in the exercise. Breaking down the figures, he said the Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, representing one successful applicant out of every 217 candidates. The Inspectorate Cadre recorded 128,604 applications for 367 positions, making it the most competitive category with one successful candidate for every 350 applicants, while the Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 vacancies, translating to one successful applicant for every 76 candidates. He encouraged unsuccessful applicants not to be discouraged, stressing that many met the required qualifications but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies and intense competition. The Comptroller-General said the recruitment reflected the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented. Each state was allocated 105 slots, comprising 35 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, while the FCT received 72 slots under the approved allocation formula. On gender representation, Adeniyi revealed that women accounted for 839 successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake, slightly higher than their 21.2 per cent share of the total applications received. He added that female applicants recorded a marginally higher success rate than their male counterparts, particularly in the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to encouraging greater female participation in future recruitment, especially in operational and enforcement roles. According to him, the exercise also produced a youthful workforce, with a median age of 26 years and nearly three-quarters of the successful candidates below the age of 30. He said the youthful intake would strengthen the Service’s capacity to embrace modern customs administration driven by technology, data analytics and automated risk management. Adeniyi further announced that the Nigeria Customs Service would now conduct recruitment exercises annually instead of waiting several years between recruitment cycles. He disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year, expressing confidence that future recruitment would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the publication of the final list. According to him, the digital systems, screening architecture and verification processes developed during the current exercise would significantly shorten future recruitment timelines. He explained that the annual recruitment policy would enable the Service to plan its workforce more effectively, promptly replace retiring personnel and provide qualified Nigerians with predictable employment opportunities. The Comptroller-General advised successful candidates to rely only on official Nigeria Customs Service communication channels for further instructions, reiterating that recruitment into the Service remains completely free. He urged members of the public to report anyone demanding money in exchange for employment, describing such individuals as fraudsters. Congratulating the successful candidates, Adeniyi reminded them that they earned their positions through a rigorous and highly competitive process and urged them to uphold the professionalism, discipline and integrity expected of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. He also assured unsuccessful applicants that another opportunity would be available later this year under the newly introduced annual recruitment programme.

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