​$2m Blackmail Attempt: Wike Narrates Narrow Escape

​Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that he narrowly escaped a sophisticated $2 million blackmail plot while in office. The Minister disclosed that an individual attempted to extort him by fabricating claims that his son had accepted a $2 million bribe in exchange for land allocation.

​Speaking during a media parley on Thursday, Wike explained that the blackmailer had alleged a late-night meeting with his son to finalize the transaction. The plot, however, collapsed under scrutiny when records confirmed that Wike’s son was out of the country on a British Airways flight at the time the supposed hand-off occurred.

​“Somebody has done that, claiming that he knows my children… that they gave him two million U.S. dollars. So look at the game,” the Minister stated. He noted that he was tipped off by a contact in the Presidential Villa and subsequently orchestrated an arrest through his Chief Security Officer, refusing an offer to “settle” the matter quietly to avoid public embarrassment.

​Drawing Parallels to the PFIPC Controversy

​Wike used this personal experience to comment on the broader risks facing public officials, specifically referencing the ongoing scandal involving the alleged “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” (PFIPC). He warned that high-ranking officials—such as the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila—are frequent targets for fabricated allegations designed to undermine government integrity.

​The PFIPC controversy, which has dominated headlines, involves one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claims to lead the council. Adeyemi has leveled serious accusations against Gbajabiamila, alleging that the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of a N27.4 billion take-off grant and received N400 million through proxies.

​In contrast to these public accusations, the Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC is entirely fictitious, possessing no legal basis or formal establishment. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a 30-day investigation into the matter.

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​Current Status of the Investigation

​The scandal has prompted significant institutional concern, particularly regarding how the non-existent agency managed to secure a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act. While the Nigerian Senate recently rejected a motion to initiate an independent investigation into the budget inclusion, it opted to defer to the ongoing ICPC probe directed by the President.

​Adeyemi, who is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on forgery charges, continues to stand by his claims. Gbajabiamila’s legal team has dismissed the allegations as defamatory and has threatened a N10 billion suit against him.

​The ICPC’s investigation is expected to be comprehensive, covering not only the actions of Adeyemi and his collaborators but also the potential procedural weaknesses that allowed a fictitious entity to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.