The phoney agency, known as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was said to be operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of a new fake agency.
The suspected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
The president also ordered the immediate arrest of the alleged promoter of the fake agency, George Buchi Nwabueze.
The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, who disclosed the developments to State House correspondents on Friday, said Mr Nwabueze “was discovered to also operate under four other variations of names.”
The four other name variations are “George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince Geroge Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.”
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations,” the ICPC chairman said.
The discovery of the new fake agency was an offshoot of ICPC’s investigations into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The ICPC chair had disclosed after briefing President Tinubu on 6 August on the commission’s interim report that the probe discovered two additional fake agencies.
Mr Aliyu said he submitted the interim report on 6 August, exactly 30 days after the President ordered a probe into the matter.
Mr Aliyu said the commission recommended the prosecution of the self proclaimed Director-General of the organisation, Adeniyi Adeyemi, over alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
… more details later
