By Valentine Amanze
Online Editor
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, ordered the immediate suspension of the Director-General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke, and the Secretary to the Federal Government, Babachir David Lawal, over corruption allegation.
The Presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement.
Adesina also said that the president had already ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the SGF over the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
“The President also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations,” he said.
Besides, Adesina also revealed that the President has ordered a full-scale investigation into the discovery of large amount 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.
He further disclosed that the investigation was 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 had been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.
Besides, he said that a three-man committee comprising the 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, he said.
Adesina however disclosed that 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.
