President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of three federal permanent secretaries and directed the arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze following the discovery of an alleged fake government agency operating from within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission identified the office as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, saying it had no lawful presidential authorisation.

The suspended officials are M.S. Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa, according to an official statement issued by the ICPC on Friday, August 21.

ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu disclosed the development after briefing President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

The commission alleged that Nwabueze promoted the purported agency with the suspected collaboration of senior public servants within the OSGF.

According to the ICPC, its investigation found that the office had been operating from within the federal government structure despite lacking proper authorisation.

The commission also said Nwabueze had used several variations of his name, including Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.

Following the briefing, Tinubu directed that he be arrested while the three permanent secretaries were suspended pending further investigation.

As of Saturday morning, reports reviewed by The Verita Post had not confirmed that Nwabueze had been taken into custody.

The suspension of the permanent secretaries also does not establish criminal liability. The ICPC has not publicly detailed the individual roles allegedly played by each of the suspended officials, and no criminal conviction has been reported against them in connection with the matter.

Discovery Linked to Earlier Fake Agency Probe

The latest discovery emerged from an investigation into another purported government organisation known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, or PFIPC.

The Presidency had earlier said the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and had no basis in law, presidential approval or any other lawful government instrument.

In June, the Presidency publicly warned that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was falsely presenting himself as a presidential appointee through the organisation.

President Tinubu subsequently directed the ICPC on July 7 to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the PFIPC and all related activities.

The investigation was ordered to examine alleged forged appointment letters, purported government documents, bank accounts opened in the names of supposed government agencies and any official recognition or diplomatic support secured using the alleged false representation.

The President also instructed investigators to establish whether public officials, financial institutions, private individuals or other intermediaries facilitated the scheme.

According to the ICPC, findings from that investigation led investigators to the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office.

The latest case is especially significant because the purported office was allegedly able to secure space within the OSGF premises.

PUNCH, citing the ICPC chairman, reported that the office was allocated space contrary to existing rules and without presidential authorisation.

The Associated Press also reported that the organisation had been operating from a government office before it was uncovered.

The development raises questions about the administrative processes that allowed an allegedly unauthorised organisation to acquire the appearance of legitimacy within a sensitive federal government institution.

Earlier PFIPC Funding Questions

The PFIPC controversy previously triggered questions about whether money appropriated in the federal budget for the purported council had actually been released.

The Budget Office of the Federation said in July that although funds appeared in the appropriation process, the money was not ultimately released as public expenditure.

According to the Budget Office, no financial clearance was issued, no recruitment was completed, no payroll records were created and no personnel payment was made. It also said required steps for releasing overhead funds were halted after questions arose over the council's legal status.

That distinction is important because the appearance of an organisation in a budget does not by itself establish that the organisation received the money appropriated to it.

The current investigation into the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office has not yet established publicly whether the alleged entity received public funds or obtained any other financial benefit.

Wider Review of Government Procedures

When Tinubu ordered the initial PFIPC investigation in July, he also directed the ICPC to identify weaknesses in government processes that could allow fictitious organisations or false presidential appointments to gain official recognition.

Federal ministries, departments and agencies were instructed to provide relevant information and records to investigators.

The latest discovery suggests that the investigation has expanded beyond the original PFIPC case.

The ICPC said it would continue its investigation in accordance with due process.

No final investigative report has yet been publicly released on the latest allegations.