… as reps panel plans private meeting with Adeyemi in custody
The Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Limited, Mr Gbenga Collins, on Tuesday told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee probing the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) that its alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, demanded ₦400 million to facilitate a ₦2 billion contract.
Collins, who appeared before the panel chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, said the money was paid in five tranches linked to a purported contract for the refurbishment of an official residence in Abuja.
According to him, ₦100 million was paid on May 16, 2025; another ₦100 million on May 22; and a further ₦100 million on May 28. He added that ₦80 million was transferred on June 20, 2025, into a Guaranty Trust Bank account belonging to World Entrepreneurship University Limited, while the remaining ₦20 million was paid into an Access Bank account of Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services on July 29, 2025.
Collins told the lawmakers that the funds were sourced from his business associates involved in agribusiness in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
He appealed to the committee to assist him in recovering the ₦400 million, lamenting that he had been unable to participate in the 2026 cashew business season and was facing mounting pressure from his colleagues to refund the money.
When asked whether the payment was a bribe to secure the contract, Collins denied the allegation.
He explained that his company neither applied for nor participated in any formal bidding process but was instead presented with a contract agreement and bill of quantities.
Speaking during the session, Gagdi said the committee had already directed Adeyemi to appear before it but noted that the suspect was currently in police custody following a court order.
“We are not refusing to invite Prince Adeyemi here. We have directed him to appear before the committee, and the police have informed us that he is in their custody based on a court order,” Gagdi said.
“The court order does not restrict anyone, including his lawyers, from meeting with or seeing him,” he added.
The committee also hinted at plans to meet Adeyemi privately as part of its ongoing investigation into the controversial inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act.