The Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has made a fresh revelation that he was in detention while the 2026 federal budget was being prepared, insisting he never defended the council’s budget despite its reported allocation of about N1.3 billion.

Adeyemi made the claim during an Instagram interview with social media personality VeryDarkMan, hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate all activities linked to the purported council.

Declaring his readiness to cooperate with investigators, Adeyemi said he would voluntarily submit documents in his possession to security agencies to assist in uncovering the circumstances surrounding the controversial agency.

Questioning how the Presidency’s budget contained an allocation for an agency it has since declared non-existent, Adeyemi maintained that he had no role in the appropriation process.

“I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared. I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget,” he said.

He further pledged full cooperation with ongoing investigations.

“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth. In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source at the ICPC disclosed on Wednesday that the commission had already commenced investigations into the activities of the purported council before Tinubu formally directed the anti-graft agency to probe the matter.

The source, who spoke to The ICIR on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said Adeyemi would be invited for questioning at the appropriate stage of the investigation.

“The investigation started even before the directive,’’ the source said.

The official added: “Invitations do not necessarily start investigations. He will surely be invited. He will definitely be invited at the appropriate point.”

President Tinubu on Tuesday ordered the ICPC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the PFIPC and all related matters, directing the commission to submit its findings within 30 days.

In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency maintained that the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and had no legal backing through any law, presidential instrument or executive approval.

The President also directed the commission to investigate the alleged forgery of appointment letters and other official documents, the alleged use of false claims of presidential appointments to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, as well as the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.

Tinubu further ordered investigators to identify and probe any public officials, private individuals, financial institutions or intermediaries who may have aided the alleged scheme, while recommending measures to close procedural loopholes that may have enabled the operation.

The controversy erupted on July 1 after the Presidency publicly disowned the PFIPC, describing it as a fictitious organisation and accusing Adeyemi of falsely presenting himself as its Director-General with forged State House documents.