President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another alleged fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The affected officials are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
The President also directed the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze, identified as the alleged promoter of the fictitious agency.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Friday after briefing Tinubu for the second consecutive day on the commission’s investigation.
Aliyu said the agency, known as the “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office”, had been allocated office space within the OSGF premises without presidential approval and in violation of existing regulations.
He said the discovery was made during the wider investigation ordered by the President following the earlier exposure of fictitious government bodies.
According to the ICPC chairman, Nwabueze allegedly operated the office with the assistance of individuals within the OSGF.
“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
He added that investigators discovered that the suspect allegedly used several variations of his name.
“The promoter was discovered to also operate under four other variations of his name: George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze,” Aliyu said.
The ICPC boss said the commission had contacted the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the fake office and had presented its findings to the President.
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“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.
Aliyu said Tinubu subsequently issued directives following the discovery.
“Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries; M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.
The latest discovery follows the earlier investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing prosecution over allegations of forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to the President on August 6 after a 30-day investigation had also identified two other alleged fictitious organisations — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the ICPC since the investigation into the PFIFC scandal began in April.