Who was Tanimola?: Questions swirl over deceased named in ‘phantom’ council saga

Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, the man Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly identified as helping him secure his disputed presidential appointment letter, died in a fire five days before Adeyemi’s arrest, leaving investigators without a crucial witness in the PFIPC scandal.

His name means “Who knows tomorrow?” — and for Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, tomorrow never came before his name became central to one of Nigeria’s most talked-about scandals.

The Presidency has identified the late Tanimola as the man Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly told investigators helped him obtain the appointment letter he used to present himself as Director-General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

According to the Presidency, Adeyemi made the claim during police interrogation following his October 2025 arrest. But investigators could never question Tanimola — he had died in a fire at Kachi Hotel, Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest. Police say they verified his death through hospital visits, interviews with relatives, the hotel proprietor, and burial records. Sources told Daily Trust he was buried after a service at Saint Mathew Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja, on November 8, 2025.

Photographs have since surfaced showing Tanimola alongside prominent figures including former President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), Tony Elumelu, Abdulsamad Rabiu, three former Inspectors-General of Police, and others — though the images do not establish any link between these individuals and the ongoing investigation.

The Presidency has not disclosed Tanimola’s occupation, affiliation, or the nature of his relationship with Adeyemi.

Daily Trust reported that ,separately, questions persist over how the council appeared in the 2026 budget despite Gbajabiamila denying its existence in October 2025. Former permanent secretary and PRP chairman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said, “It is impossible for a perfect stranger to walk into the Presidency, acquire offices, acquire space within the budget, acquire funding… He had collaborators from within. Who are they? We need to know.”

RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, noted that while the Presidency detailed why it believes Adeyemi acted fraudulently, it left several allegations against Gbajabiamila unaddressed.