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The embattled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has said that he is not hiding from authorities but is staying away from the public because he fears for his life.
Adeyemi made the claim in a telephone interview on Channels TV on Monday, days after a United States lobbying firm announced plans to assist him in seeking asylum in the United States over what it described as threats to his safety.
In the video, Adeyemi dismissed suggestions that he was in hiding, saying he remained ready to appear publicly despite the risks.
“Definitely, I’m ready. I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger,” he said.
The embattled Adeyemi further alleged that there had been several attempts on his life, although he did not provide specific details or identify those allegedly responsible.
“And I’m ready for that. There are several attempts to… my life,” he added.
His latest comments come amid mounting legal and political controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which the Presidency has described as a fictitious agency.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that a United States lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, said it was prepared to assist Adeyemi in seeking asylum in the United States and obtaining whistleblower protection.
In a series of posts on X, the firm’s representative, Dr Von Batten, said he had spoken directly with Adeyemi and considered him “sincere and credible.”
According to Von Batten, Adeyemi informed him that he and members of his family had received threats and were currently in hiding over concerns for their safety.
The lobbyist also said his team had begun briefing senior members of US President Donald Trump’s team and planned to brief members of the US Congress over allegations made by Adeyemi concerning senior Nigerian government officials.
Recall that the Nigeria Police Force is set to arraign Adeyemi before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
In a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, the police accused Adeyemi and two others of eight offences, including forgery and impersonation.
The police alleged that Adeyemi operated the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council from the second floor of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, before his arrest.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the activities of the purported agency within 30 days.
The controversy has also sparked calls from opposition parties and political figures for an independent investigation into how the agency secured a ₦1.302bn allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency maintaining that it had no legal existence.
While the Senate declined to launch a separate probe pending the outcome of the ICPC investigation, several opposition parties have insisted that both the appropriation process and the allegations surrounding the agency should be independently investigated.
