A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has said it is willing to assist Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the embattled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), in seeking asylum in the United States.
The firm is simultaneously urging US authorities to launch an investigation into explosive allegations made by Adeyemi against senior Nigerian government officials regarding the misappropriation of public funds.
Dr. Von Batten, the head of the firm, revealed over the weekend that his team is in direct contact with Adeyemi, who is reportedly in hiding with his family due to alleged death threats. Describing Adeyemi as sincere and credible, Von Batten stated that the allegations involve the mismanagement of World Bank loans.
Because the United States is the World Bank’s largest shareholder, Von Batten argues the claims warrant an immediate probe by the US Congress, the State Department, and the Treasury. The lobbyist further claimed he has already briefed senior members of US President Donald Trump’s team and will commence congressional briefings this week, warning that President Bola Tinubu will be held directly responsible if any harm befalls Adeyemi.
According to the lobbying firm, Adeyemi alleged that he was officially appointed by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to head the agency. Adeyemi claimed the PFIPC was provided with government office space, Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, and national budget funding.
The embattled DG further alleged that his current ordeal began only after he refused a demand from Gbajabiamila to surrender 45 percent of the agency’s budget, resulting in severe retaliation and the government subsequently labeling the agency a fraudulent enterprise. The Nigerian authorities, however, maintain a sharply contrasting narrative. The Nigeria Police Force is preparing to arraign Adeyemi and two others before the Federal High Court in Abuja on eight counts of forgery, impersonation, and related offenses, alleging he operated a fictitious agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex.
President Tinubu has already directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the entity within 30 days, with Gbajabiamila listed as a key prosecution witness in the upcoming criminal trial.
Meanwhile, the scandal continues to generate intense domestic political friction. Opposition parties, including the Labour Party, the African Democratic Congress, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, are demanding an independent National Assembly investigation.
The political factions are insisting on clarity regarding how an agency the Presidency adamantly insists does not exist managed to secure a ₦1.302 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
