The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has taken an international dimension after a United States lobbying firm said it was prepared to help the agency’s embattled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, seek asylum in the US while urging American authorities to investigate allegations he has made against senior Nigerian government officials.
The development comes as the Nigeria Police Force prepares to arraign Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges of forgery, impersonation and other related offences linked to the controversial agency.
The US lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, made its position known through a series of posts published over the weekend and on Monday by its chairman, Dr. Von Batten.
According to him, the firm had established contact with Adeyemi and was already taking steps to brief members of the United States Congress and other government agencies on the allegations.
In a post shared on Saturday through X, formerly Twitter, Von Batten said the firm was willing to assist Adeyemi in seeking asylum in the United States and obtaining whistleblower protection.
“To anyone in contact with Mr. Adeyemi, we are very interested in speaking with him. We are prepared to assist Mr. Adeyemi in seeking asylum in the United States and requesting whistleblower protection,” he wrote.
Von Batten said any credible allegations involving projects funded by the World Bank would attract the attention of American authorities because the United States is the largest shareholder in the World Bank.
According to him, if funds supported by the World Bank were allegedly misused, the matter would be of interest to agencies in the United States.
He also warned that if anything happened to Adeyemi, his organisation would demand a full investigation into the circumstances.
In another post published on Monday, Von Batten said he had spoken directly with Adeyemi and found him to be “sincere and credible.”
He said the allegations made by Adeyemi should be investigated by several American institutions, including the US Congress, the US State Department, the US Treasury Department, the US Government Accountability Office and other relevant agencies.
“This is Dr. Von Batten. I just spoke with Mr. Adeyemi. I found him to be sincere and credible. Based on our discussion, I believe his allegations warrant an investigation by Congress, the State Department, the US Treasury, the US Government Accountability Office and other relevant US agencies due to the alleged misappropriation of US-funded World Bank loans by senior members of the Nigerian government,” he stated.
Von Batten further claimed that he had already briefed senior members of the administration of US President Donald Trump over the weekend and that his team would begin briefing members of Congress this week.
He also disclosed details of what he said Adeyemi told him during their conversation.
According to Von Batten, Adeyemi claimed he was appointed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to head the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
He further alleged that Adeyemi told him the agency was allocated office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, had bank accounts opened through the Central Bank of Nigeria and received funding through the national budget, including funds allegedly linked to World Bank-supported projects.
Von Batten also claimed that Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded 45 per cent of the agency’s budget and that he became the target of retaliation after refusing the request.
According to the lobbying firm, Adeyemi further claimed that the agency was later declared fictitious after disagreements arose.
The lobbying group also said Adeyemi informed it that he and members of his family had received threats and were currently in hiding because of fears for their safety.
Von Batten warned that if any harm came to Adeyemi while he was cooperating with US authorities, President Bola Tinubu would be held responsible.
However, the allegations made by Adeyemi and repeated by the US lobbying firm have not been established in court, and the Nigerian government has not publicly responded to the latest claims as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has concluded plans to prosecute Adeyemi over his alleged activities.
In a fresh charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, the police accused Adeyemi and two other persons of eight counts bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
According to the police, Adeyemi operated a fictitious government agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before he was arrested.
The police alleged that the agency was not legally established by the Federal Government.
The PFIPC controversy first came to public attention after reports emerged that the agency received an allocation of ₦1.302 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite the Presidency insisting that no such agency existed.
The revelation sparked widespread public debate and raised questions about how the agency was included in the federal budget.
Following the controversy, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of the purported agency within 30 days.
The investigation is expected to determine how the agency operated, who authorised its activities and how it secured budgetary allocations.
Court documents filed in the criminal case also listed the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, among the prosecution witnesses expected to testify during the trial.
The case has continued to generate political reactions across the country.
Opposition political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Labour Party and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), have called for a broader and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the agency.
They argue that beyond the criminal charges against Adeyemi, there should be a thorough probe into how the agency obtained a budget allocation despite claims that it never officially existed.
The opposition parties have also urged the National Assembly to investigate the budgetary process that led to the approval of the ₦1.302 billion allocation.
However, the Senate has declined to begin a separate investigation for now, saying it would await the outcome of the ongoing ICPC probe before taking further action.
The unfolding developments have placed the PFIPC controversy under both national and international scrutiny.
While the Nigerian authorities are pursuing criminal charges against Adeyemi, the intervention by the US lobbying firm has introduced a new dimension to the case, with calls for foreign investigations into the allegations he has made.
The coming weeks are expected to be crucial as the criminal trial begins, the ICPC continues its investigation, and political pressure mounts for greater transparency over the controversial agency and the circumstances surrounding its appearance in Nigeria’s 2026 budget.