A fresh twist emerged in the House of Representatives’ investigation into the alleged establishment of the Proficiency and Financial Inclusion Commission (PFIPC), as lawmakers uncovered what they described as evidence suggesting the forgery of several official government documents.
During the hearing on Monday , members of the ad hoc committee compared signatures on documents purportedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President with authentic official documents obtained by the Nigeria Police. Asked whether the signatures matched, the police witness responded, “They are not the same.”
The committee said the revelation heightened concerns that multiple government documents may have been forged in an attempt to legitimise the activities of the purported agency.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Patrick Umoh, said the investigation had gone beyond a single allegedly forged letter.
“So, it is not only a letter that was suspected to be forged,” Umoh said. “We are dealing with documents that include what is said to be a forged Act of the National Assembly in an attempt to establish a fake agency.”
Lawmakers were informed that investigators had identified about 29 documents suspected to have been forged. The documents reportedly include purported approvals from the State House, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance, and several other government institutions.
The committee further noted that many of the affected agencies had already appeared before the lawmakers and denied issuing the documents attributed to them.
Also speaking, committee member Hon. Yusuf Gagdi said lawmakers were careful not to compel the police to disclose information that could compromise the ongoing criminal investigation.
“We are avoiding a situation whereby they will be pushed to make statements that will undermine their ongoing investigation,” Gagdi said.
He assured the committee that the House inquiry would continue independently and that its final report could recommend further action by relevant security agencies.
