BREAKING: Buhari Suspends SGF, DG NIA

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate suspension of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal.

Buhari, on Wednesday, ordered investigation into allegations of violations of law and due process levelled against Mr Lawal on the award of contract under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

In a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Femi Adesina, Buhari directed the suspension of the SGF from office “pending the outcome of investigations.”

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The president also ordered the suspension of the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, following claims by the agency that the $43m discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos belonged to it.

Recall that the NIA had claimed that the recovered funds belong to the agency and that it was meant for a covert operation and security projects covering a period of years.

The money was said to have been released in bits during the tenure of a former NIA director-general.

Buhari, has however, set up a three-man Committee headed by the Vice President, to conduct both investigations and submit its report within 14 days.

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The statement read in full, “President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

“The President has also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations.

“In a related development, the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

“The investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

“The President has also directed the suspension of the Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation.

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“A three-man Committee comprising the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the National Security Adviser, headed by the Vice President, is to conduct both investigations.

“The Committee is to submit its report to the President within 14 days.

“The most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF’s office, and the most senior officer in the NIA, are to act, respectively, during the period of investigation.”

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