Fresh twists have emerged in the ongoing investigation into the alleged fraudulent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), with the mysterious death of a key figure, the demolition of an Abuja hotel and conflicting accounts from investigators raising fresh concerns.
At the centre of the controversy is Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, the man investigators say linked the alleged mastermind of the PFIPC scheme, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to the forged presidential appointment documents used to establish the controversial council.
According to official records, Tanimola died on October 22, 2025, in a fire at Kachi Hotel on Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. However, despite the significance of the incident, there are no publicly available independent reports, eyewitness accounts or emergency service records confirming that the hotel fire occurred.
Police investigators said they verified Tanimola’s death through hospital records, mortuary documentation, interviews with relatives, the hotel owner and burial records. Yet the absence of publicly verifiable evidence surrounding the alleged fire has continued to fuel speculation.
Just five days after Tanimola’s reported death, security operatives arrested Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an agency the Presidency later declared non-existent.
Investigators accused Adeyemi of forging presidential appointment letters, falsifying official signatures, including that of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and using the documents to project himself as a government official while allegedly seeking financial benefits and diplomatic privileges.
Authorities also alleged that the fictitious council appeared in the 2026 federal budget with an allocation of about N1.3 billion and operated from office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja despite lacking legal existence.
During interrogation, Adeyemi reportedly identified Tanimola as the intermediary who facilitated the disputed appointment documents. However, in a video interview released by social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), Adeyemi admitted he never met Gbajabiamila in person and could not confirm the identity of the individual he spoke with over the phone.
Although Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded a share of a proposed N27.4 billion grant and a N400 million payment linked to appointments, the claims remain unproven. Gbajabiamila has consistently denied any involvement, insisting his signature was forged and maintaining that he never authorised the establishment of the PFIPC. He also petitioned security agencies and threatened legal action over defamatory allegations.
The controversy took another dramatic turn after Kachi Hotel, where Tanimola reportedly died, was mysteriously demolished.
A visit to the site by The Nation found the luxury hotel reduced to rubble following a violent demolition reportedly carried out by unidentified individuals without any visible government supervision.
Residents told the newspaper that armed men stormed the premises, chased away security personnel and looted furniture, electronics and other valuables before dismantling the structure over several days.
Officials at the Federal Capital Territory Development Control Unit, Abuja Municipal Area Council and other agencies reportedly denied authorising the demolition.
When contacted, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Anietie Iniedu said he could not confirm details surrounding Tanimola’s death because the matter had been under investigation before he assumed office.
He, however, confirmed that investigations into the PFIPC allegations remain active, noting that Adeyemi had earlier been arraigned in court but allegedly jumped bail, prompting renewed efforts to locate him.
The investigation also extended to Adeyemi’s family home in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, where security operatives questioned and briefly detained his father, Pa Adetunji Adeniyi, over his son’s whereabouts.
The elderly man maintained that he believed his son genuinely worked for the Federal Government in Abuja and denied having knowledge of the allegations surrounding the controversial council.
Community leaders in Ogbomoso have since publicly distanced themselves from Adeyemi, rejecting his claim to royal status and describing him as someone who falsely presented himself as a prince to gain credibility.
Under the aegis of the Ogbomoso Integrity Forum, traditional leaders declared that Adeyemi has no recognised connection to any ruling house in Ogbomoso and accused him of exploiting fabricated titles to deceive the public.
As investigations continue, unanswered questions surrounding Tanimola’s death, the disappearance of critical physical evidence through the demolition of Kachi Hotel and the origins of the alleged forged presidential documents continue to cast a shadow over one of Nigeria’s most controversial public sector fraud investigations in recent years.