The International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR) has called for an independent investigation into an organisation alleged to have operated as a government agency despite questions surrounding its legal authority and official status.
In a statement issued on Saturday, August 22, 2026, and signed by its Chancellor, Omenazu Jackson, the organisation said reports and publicly available photographs suggesting that the group interacted with senior public officials and government institutions had raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s systems of institutional verification, security intelligence and administrative due diligence.
ISSJHR said the central concern was not merely the alleged existence of the organisation, but how it was apparently able to operate openly, gain public recognition and establish relationships with senior government officials without its claimed governmental status being adequately verified.
According to the rights organisation, photographs and other information reportedly show the head of the organisation in engagements involving the Governor of Nasarawa State, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and representatives associated with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
“If these engagements are authentic, they raise a fundamental institutional question: How could an organisation allegedly lacking proper governmental authorisation gain sufficient access, visibility and official recognition to operate at such a high level without the relevant institutions detecting and resolving the anomaly?” ISSJHR asked.
The organisation, however, cautioned against drawing conclusions about individuals solely on the basis of their photographs, names or association with the organisation.
It stressed that the appearance of a public official at an event, meeting or programme associated with an organisation does not, by itself, establish knowledge of or complicity in any alleged wrongdoing.
ISSJHR said the circumstances should instead be subjected to independent and objective scrutiny, arguing that the matter raises broader questions about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s institutional authentication and inter-agency verification systems.
Institutions urged to provide answers
ISSJHR called on relevant institutions, including the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Department of State Services, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Assembly and the ministry responsible for Labour and Employment, to strengthen mechanisms for verifying organisations that claim to be government agencies, programmes or institutions.
The organisation said authorities should establish whether the organisation in question was legally created and, if so, identify the Act, regulation, executive instrument or government decision under which it was established.
It also called for clarification on whether the organisation received budgetary allocations, which ministry or agency supervised it, who appointed its officers and whether its financial accounts were recognised within the government’s official financial system.
Other questions raised include whether government institutions issued correspondence, approvals, invitations or endorsements to the organisation and whether security and intelligence agencies were aware of its activities.
ISSJHR maintained that the answers must be based on documentary evidence rather than speculation.
Call for Government Agency and Project Verification System
The organisation proposed the establishment of a comprehensive Government Agency and Project Verification System accessible across relevant ministries, departments and agencies.
It said every federal government agency, programme or major project should have a verifiable institutional identity indicating its legal foundation, supervising authority, approved functions, leadership, budgetary allocation and official contact details.
It also called for clear due-diligence protocols to guide public officials before they formally associate themselves with organisations claiming governmental status.
According to ISSJHR, such measures would not prevent legitimate engagement between public officials and civil society organisations, but would reduce the risk of government officials inadvertently lending the credibility of the Nigerian state to organisations whose legal status had not been established.
Security implications
ISSJHR said the matter also had a national security dimension.
It argued that an organisation capable of gaining access to official circles, interacting with senior government authorities and presenting itself as a government institution without effective verification could expose vulnerabilities that might be exploited for fraud, impersonation, unauthorised fundraising, recruitment, intelligence gathering or influence operations.
The organisation therefore urged relevant security, financial, administrative and regulatory authorities to conduct a coordinated review of the circumstances surrounding the alleged organisation.
‘Do not scapegoat; investigate’
ISSJHR also cautioned against immediately criminalising individuals whose names, titles or photographs appeared in connection with the organisation.
“Do not scapegoat; investigate,” the organisation said, stressing that individuals who knowingly participated in unlawful activities should be held accountable, while those who acted innocently or were themselves deceived should not be made scapegoats.
It nevertheless noted that public office carries a responsibility of due diligence, particularly where an official repeatedly endorsed, promoted, patronised or facilitated an organisation.
In such circumstances, ISSJHR said investigators should establish what was known, when it became known and what verification was undertaken.
ISSJHR’s demands
The organisation called on the Federal Government to commission an independent investigation into the legal status, activities, funding and official relationships of the organisation in question.
It further urged authorities to determine how the organisation gained access to senior government officials and institutions and whether government funds, facilities, documents, privileges or official endorsements were improperly obtained or used.
ISSJHR also called for a review of existing verification procedures used by government ministries, departments and agencies before recognising or engaging organisations presenting themselves as government institutions.
It urged stronger information sharing among the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Budget Office, financial institutions, security agencies, ministries and the National Assembly.
The organisation further proposed the publication of an authoritative register of federal government agencies and legally established government programmes, including their enabling instruments and supervising institutions.
It said any investigation into individuals associated with the organisation should be evidence-based and distinguish between knowing participation, negligence, administrative failure and innocent association.
“Nigeria cannot build a credible state on institutional appearances alone,” ISSJHR said, adding that the credibility of government was a public asset that should not be lent casually to organisations whose legal identity had not been verified.
The organisation urged the Federal Government to treat the matter not simply as an isolated allegation involving one organisation, but as an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive audit of Nigeria’s institutional verification and due-diligence architecture.
“If an alleged fake government agency could reach the corridors of the highest levels of government without being detected, the question is no longer only ‘Who created it?’ The bigger question is: ‘How did the system fail to detect it?’” the statement concluded.
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