President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze and suspended three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The suspended permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwah.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Friday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Aliyu said the newly uncovered office, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, was operating illegally after being allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) without presidential approval.
He said the discovery was made as part of the ICPC’s wider investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, another fake agency earlier uncovered by the commission following a directive from President Tinubu.
According to the ICPC chairman, the investigation identified George Buchi Nwabueze as the promoter of the newly uncovered office and also revealed the involvement of suspected collaborators 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 the promoter was found to be operating under several variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
Aliyu said the ICPC had engaged the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the fake office and had briefed President Tinubu on the latest findings.
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.
Following the briefing, Aliyu said the President directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
He said the commission would continue its investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the creation and operation of the fake office and identify other persons who may have been involved.