PFIPC: ICPC confirms Gbajabiamila honoured its invitation, wasn’t arrested

Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, voluntarily appeared at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) headquarters on Monday to provide a statement regarding an ongoing investigation into a fraudulent government council.

The ICPC on Tuesday issued a formal statement clarifying that Gbajabiamila was not arrested or detained; rather, he willingly honored an invitation by investigators to assist in establishing facts surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

In the statement issued by its spokesperson, Demola Bakare, the ICPC said the presidential aide voluntarily appeared at its headquarters in Abuja, responded to investigators’ questions and departed after the session.

“The Commission confirms that the Chief of Staff’s visit was on the invitation of its investigators and consistent with its ongoing efforts to gather all relevant facts in the matter.

“He was not arrested; he simply willingly honoured an invitation,” the ICPC said.

The commission stressed that questioning individuals connected to an investigation formed part of its statutory responsibility and should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing or an arrest.

It added that its investigation into the PFIPC controversy was still underway and assured the public that further updates would be provided when necessary.

The PFIPC has been disowned by the Presidency as a fictitious, unauthorized entity that illegally operated from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja for approximately two years, under one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who is alleged to have paraded himself as the Director-General of the said Council.

President Bola Tinubu ordered the ICPC to launch a comprehensive probe into how the fake council secured office space, an allocation in the 2026 budget, and opened unactivated accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, had announced that the President directed the commission to conclude its investigation and submit a detailed report within 30 days.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖