President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of Prince 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 development was announced on Friday by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, after briefing President Tinubu on the commission’s latest findings.
The suspended permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
According to Aliyu, the ICPC uncovered an unauthorised office operating as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which had allegedly been allocated office space within the OSGF without presidential approval and contrary to established regulations.
He said the discovery was made during the commission’s ongoing investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and weaknesses in the public service.
Aliyu identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the fake office, adding that investigations showed he 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 the investigation also uncovered suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
He added that the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain relevant information and had fully briefed the President on the latest findings.
Following the briefing, Aliyu said Tinubu directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
The latest discovery is part of a wider investigation ordered by the President following the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The council’s self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution over allegations of forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to Tinubu on August 6 after a 30-day investigation had also revealed two other fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth fake agency uncovered in connection with the ongoing investigation.
