President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze following the discovery of an alleged fake government agency operating from the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The development followed an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) into the activities of another alleged fake government body.
The purported agency, identified as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was reportedly uncovered during the commission’s investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, said to have been operated by one Adeyemi Matthew.
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed the development on Friday while briefing State House correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu.
According to Aliyu, investigators discovered that office space within the OSGF premises had been allocated to the purported agency.
He said the discovery raised concerns over how an unauthorised body gained access to government facilities and operated from the premises of a major Federal Government office.
Following the discovery, President Tinubu directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and ordered relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged operation.
The President also approved the immediate suspension of three Permanent Secretaries identified as M.S. Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah in connection with the incident.
The ICPC chairman did not immediately provide further details on the alleged role of the suspended officials or the circumstances under which the office space was allocated.
The latest development comes amid an intensified investigation by the anti-corruption commission into individuals allegedly using government offices, facilities and structures to operate unauthorised entities in the name of the Federal Government.
Further details are expected from the ICPC as investigations continue into the alleged fake agency, the allocation of the office space and the individuals linked to its establishment and operations.
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