President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of a man allegedly linked to the establishment of another fake government agency within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The affected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah, while the President ordered the arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Friday after briefing Tinubu for the second time in two days on the commission’s investigation into fictitious government agencies.
According to Aliyu, the latest discovery involves an office operating as the “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.”
He said the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential approval and in violation of existing laws.
Aliyu said Nwabueze was the promoter of the office and allegedly operated under several names, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The ICPC chairman said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the office and had briefed the President on its findings.
Following the briefing, Tinubu directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
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The latest discovery is linked to an ongoing investigation into fictitious government bodies following the exposure of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The council’s 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 bodies , 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 the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered since the investigation began.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.