President Bola Tinubu has ordered the arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze and directed the suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another alleged fake government agency within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, after he briefed the President on the commission’s ongoing investigation into fictitious government bodies.
The three suspended permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
The ICPC chairman said investigators discovered an office operating as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office within the OSGF premises. According to the commission, the office had been given space inside the government complex without the required approval from the President.
The discovery was made during an investigation ordered by Tinubu following an earlier scandal involving the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Investigators identified Nwabueze as the person behind the newly discovered office. The commission also found that he allegedly used several versions of his name while carrying out activities linked to the office.
The ICPC said it had begun working with officials of the OSGF to obtain documents and other information needed to establish how the office was able to operate from government premises.
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Following the latest findings, the commission briefed Tinubu on the matter and presented details of its investigation to the President.
Tinubu subsequently directed that Nwabueze be arrested while the three permanent secretaries were suspended pending further action.
The latest discovery adds to a growing investigation into alleged fictitious government bodies operating around the Federal Government.
The probe began after the ICPC uncovered the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, a body that investigators said did not have government approval. Its alleged director-general, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is facing prosecution over allegations including forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to the President earlier in August also identified two other bodies described as fictitious. They were the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The newly discovered National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the commission since the investigation began.
The ICPC said its investigation into the latest case remains ongoing, while further action is expected as investigators examine the involvement of individuals within and outside the OSGF.
The development has also raised fresh questions about the processes used to create, recognise and accommodate offices operating within government facilities and the level of oversight exercised by senior public officials.
The commission is expected to continue its investigation to determine how the alleged fake agency gained access to government premises, who authorised its activities and whether public resources were used in its operations.
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