A House of Representatives investigation into how a non-existent federal council found its way into Nigeria's 2026 Appropriation Act has uncovered nearly 30 forged documents, as lawmakers work to unravel one of the more brazen impersonation schemes to touch the federal budgeting process in recent memory.

The Ad hoc Committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, disclosed during a resumed investigative hearing in Abuja that it is now in possession of 29 fake documents allegedly used by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew โ€” also referred to in some official records as Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew โ€” who presented himself as Director-General of what has since been dubbed a "phantom" presidential council. According to information relayed to the committee by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Shamsudeen Ogunjimi, Adeyemi is alleged to have hijacked a letter of authentication that had originally been addressed to the Presidency, using it to lend fraudulent legitimacy to his claimed position.

That authentication letter appears to have played a central role in enabling the scheme to advance as far as it did. The committee disclosed that it has obtained records showing a bank account was opened for the phantom council by the Central Bank of Nigeria, following what officials say was authorisation granted through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation โ€” an authorisation investigators believe was secured on the strength of the falsified documentation. Authorities have since clarified that although the account was successfully opened, no actual government funds were ever transferred into it, limiting the financial exposure even as the episode raises broader questions about how such a scheme progressed as far as it did within federal institutions.

The scandal first came to light when the Presidency moved to publicly disown Adeyemi and his self-styled council, with Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila formally writing to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate what he described as forged appointment letters underpinning the entire operation. Adeyemi was subsequently arrested at an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja. According to police accounts, searches of his office and residence turned up a trove of documents characterised as forged, alongside allegations that he had been operating 34 separate bank accounts โ€” nine of them reportedly registered in the names of entities investigators believe do not actually exist.

What has made the case particularly striking to observers is that, prior to being disowned by the Presidency, Adeyemi and his phantom council were far from obscure figures operating in the shadows. Public records and media reports indicate he and his team had, at various points, secured meetings and public engagements with legitimate government figures and institutions, including a reported reception by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede โ€” an encounter that took on added significance after images circulated showing what appeared to be an EFCC plaque presented to Adeyemi during the meeting.

As the House committee's investigation continues, Chairman Gagdi has also called on the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to approve the release of 12 personnel named in a security report submitted to the panel, explaining that the move is intended to protect the integrity of individuals and institutions referenced in the probe while investigators continue verifying which documents in the case were altered or fabricated.

With dozens of forged records now confirmed and a federal bank account traced directly to the scheme, lawmakers say the investigation remains focused on establishing precisely how a fabricated federal body was able to penetrate official budgeting and banking processes โ€” and on identifying whether any individuals within government institutions unwittingly, or otherwise, helped lend the phantom council its appearance of legitimacy.