The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered another fake government agency operating within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has however ordered the immediate arrest of its promoter and the suspension of three Permanent Secretaries.

The development is part of the ongoing ICPC investigation into alleged fake government agencies and procedural weaknesses in Nigeria’s public service, following the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Chairman of the ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed the latest findings on Friday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the commission uncovered an organisation operating under the name National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, which had been allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation despite not being a duly established government agency.

Aliyu identified Prince George Buchi Nwabueze as the promoter of the organisation and said investigations revealed that he operated under several variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.

The ICPC chairman said the commission had engaged the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to obtain vital information concerning the organisation and how it was able to secure office space within the government premises.

He said he had also briefed President Tinubu comprehensively on the commission's latest findings.

Following the briefing, the President directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and ordered the suspension of three Permanent Secretaries with immediate effect.

The affected officials are M.S. Danjuma, Engr. Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

Aliyu said the presidential directives were part of measures being taken in response to the findings of the commission's investigation into fake agencies and weaknesses in public-service processes.

The ICPC had earlier been investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which the Federal Government had questioned over its purported status and activities.

The commission's latest discovery has now widened the investigation to other organisations presenting themselves as government bodies without proper legal or administrative authority.

The ICPC chairman said the investigation into the alleged fraudulent activities remained ongoing under the direction of the President, with the commission continuing to engage relevant government offices to establish how the organisation came to operate within the OSGF complex.