President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of another alleged 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.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, announced the presidential directives on Friday after briefing Tinubu on the latest findings of the commission.
Aliyu said the ICPC uncovered an entity operating as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office during its ongoing investigation into fictitious government agencies and weaknesses in the public service.
He said the organisation had been allocated office space within the OSGF despite allegedly lacking legal backing and presidential approval.
“Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the commission has uncovered another fake agency and office,” Aliyu said.
According to him, the entity was promoted by Nwabueze, who 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 investigations had also identified suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
He added that the commission had commenced engagement with the OSGF to obtain documents and other information relevant to the investigation.
Aliyu said he had presented the findings to Tinubu and that the commission would continue its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operation of the alleged fake office.
Following the briefing, the President directed that Nwabueze be arrested immediately and that the three permanent secretaries be suspended.
The development is the latest fallout from the investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which has triggered concerns over the activities of unauthorised bodies operating within government structures.
The alleged promoter of the council, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who presented himself as its Director-General, is facing prosecution over charges of forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to the President on August 6, after a 30-day investigation, had earlier identified two other alleged 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 is the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the commission in connection with the ongoing probe.
The ICPC said its investigation would continue, including efforts to establish the roles of officials and other individuals linked to the operation of the latest entity.
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