Reps panel orders IGP to produce PFIPC DG within 48 Hours over probe

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to produce the council’s Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, before the panel within 48 hours.

The directive was issued on Monday during the committee’s resumed investigative hearing as lawmakers intensified their probe into the controversial council, which they described as an alleged fake government agency.

The committee said Adeyemi’s appearance was necessary to provide firsthand testimony on the establishment, legal status and operations of the PFIPC.

“The Director-General must be produced before this committee within 48 hours to answer questions relating to the ongoing investigation into the activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council,” the committee directed.

Lawmakers fixed Wednesday for Adeyemi’s appearance, stressing that his testimony would be crucial to establishing the facts surrounding the agency and determining whether it was lawfully established.

The committee, however, did not disclose the full details of the allegations against the PFIPC but maintained that the investigation was aimed at verifying the authenticity of the council and examining the circumstances surrounding its operations.

The PFIPC has been at the centre of public controversy in recent months after its Director-General accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of corruption over budgetary allocations allegedly linked to the agency.

Following the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter and submit its findings within 30 days.

Meanwhile, Adeyemi is currently in police custody after he was arrested in Osun State following a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja in connection with alleged forgery and impersonation charges filed against him by the Nigeria Police Force.

The controversy surrounding the PFIPC has continued to attract widespread public attention, with opposition figures, policy analysts and civil society organisations calling for a comprehensive investigation into how the agency allegedly appeared in the Federal Government’s budget, secured office space within the Federal Secretariat and reportedly operated domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria despite questions over its legal status.