Panic erupted at the Lagos tank farm cluster at Ibafon, Apapa, on Friday morning after a fire broke out at the Bono Tank Farm, located within the Best Energy Tank Farm complex.

The inferno sent residents and workers in the area fleeing for safety as emergency responders moved in to contain the blaze.

Following the outbreak the fire service departments of both the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) moved in to curtail the spread of the inferno.

Efforts to obtain comments from the management of Bono Tank Farm and Best Energy Tank Farm were unsuccessful, as phone calls and text messages sent to their representatives were neither answered nor acknowledged.

Photo: Gbajabiamila, and Adeyemi

The Federal Government has filed an 8-count charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of a purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, over the controversy trailing the agency.

Adeyemi, however, fought back claiming that he was given an appointment letter.

Adeyemi, during an appearance on Channels Television claimed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila gave him an appointment letter, insisting that he is not a criminal.

However, it was learned that the alleged ‘‘fake’’ Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was allocated N1.302 billion in the 2026 Budget of the Federal Government.

In a statement on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, said the charges were filed by the Police on November 27, 2025, against Adeyemi and two accomplices at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Onanuga said Adeyemi is expected to appear in court on July 27, 2026.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the immediate removal of the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linking him to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) agency involving one Prince Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the agency .

In a statement signed on Friday by NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the party urged President Tinubu to suspend the Chief of Staff to allow for what it described as a transparent and unbiased investigation into the allegations.

The NDC’s demand is sequel to claims made by Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General of the alleged PFIPC, an agency the Presidency has maintained does not exist.

According to the party, the allegations raise serious concerns over transparency and accountability within the current administration. It questioned how the purported agency allegedly secured budgetary allocations in the 2026 Appropriation Act and reportedly operated domiciliary, Pounds Sterling and Treasury Single Account (TSA) accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria despite being disowned by the Presidency.

The party also queried claims that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation allegedly approved 314 staff positions for the agency, asking how such approvals could have been granted if the organisation was not officially recognised.

The NDC has referenced Adeyemi’s allegations that he paid N600 million to secure his appointment, with N400 million allegedly paid through intermediaries linked to the Chief of Staff while an outstanding balance of N200 million reportedly contributed to the current dispute over the agency’s status.