President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of a man accused of promoting a fictitious government office 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. The President also directed security authorities to arrest George Buchi Nwabueze, identified by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission as the promoter of the fake office.
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, disclosed the development on Friday after briefing the President on the commission’s investigation into fictitious government agencies.
According to Aliyu, the organisation, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, had been given office space within the OSGF premises despite lacking legal recognition and presidential approval.
The ICPC chairman said investigations showed that Nwabueze allegedly operated under several names, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze and Prince George Buchi Nwabueze.
Aliyu said the commission was working with the OSGF to obtain further information about the office and determine how it was able to operate within the government premises.
He added that the President, after receiving the latest briefing, ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and the immediate suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
The discovery is part of a wider investigation into fake government institutions. The probe began after the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose alleged director-general, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing prosecution over forgery and impersonation allegations.
An interim ICPC report submitted to Tinubu on August 6 had also identified two other suspected fictitious bodies: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
With the latest discovery, the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office becomes the fourth fictitious body uncovered by the commission since the investigation began.
The ICPC said its investigation would continue as authorities work to establish the full extent of the alleged activities and identify other individuals who may have been involved.
