The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed reports claiming that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was arrested over the ongoing investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The anti-corruption agency clarified on Tuesday, July 21, that Gbajabiamila merely responded to an invitation from its investigators and was never taken into custody.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page, the commission explained that the President’s Chief of Staff voluntarily appeared before investigators to assist with enquiries into the alleged activities of the PFIPC.
“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 statement read.
The ICPC said the investigation followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to uncover how the PFIPC allegedly operated for nearly two years from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja under the leadership of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the council’s Director-General.
According to the commission, Gbajabiamila visited its headquarters in Abuja on Monday afternoon, answered investigators’ questions and departed after making his statement.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) confirms that the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, was at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 20th July, 2026, to give a statement in connection with the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC),” the statement said.
The commission added that its investigation remains ongoing and promised to provide updates when necessary.
READ ALSO: ICPC Interrogates Gbajabiamila Over PFIPC Scandal
The PFIPC controversy has also attracted the attention of the House of Representatives, where lawmakers are investigating how the organisation allegedly secured office accommodation, official documents and budgetary allocations despite later being disowned by the Presidency.
During a public hearing on Monday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed that it opened two foreign currency domiciliary accounts for the agency after receiving instructions from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Addressing the House Ad-hoc Committee chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, the Director of the CBN’s Banking Services Department, Hamisu Ibrahim, said the accounts were opened in 2025 following an official mandate.
“On July 30, 2025, we received a mandate dated July 29, 2025 from the Office of the Accountant-General. We received the mandate to authorise two accounts, one a US dollar domiciliary account, the other a pound domiciliary account, for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council,” Ibrahim told the committee.
He explained that the apex bank followed its standard verification procedures before opening the accounts.
“The process of opening an account requires a mandate from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“Once we receive that mandate, we perform all the necessary verifications to confirm that this mandate is actually coming from that office.
“The department that handles the mandate is different from the department that actually does the account opening,” he said.
However, Ibrahim noted that although the accounts were created, they were never activated because no authorised representatives completed the process.
Adeyemi has since been arrested and is currently facing prosecution over his alleged involvement in the operations of the PFIPC.