BREAKING NEWS: SGF, DG of NIA SUSPENDED FROM OFFICE

Embattled Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir Lawal, had been suspended from office with the most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF's Office to step in pending the outcome of investigations.

The President, Muhammadu Buhari in a statement from the office of Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adeshina, ordered the immediate suspension Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, and Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, as well as an investigation into the allegations against them.


The Special  Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), disclosed this in a statement issued this afternoon in Abuja.

In the statement, Adeshina said that the investigation of Lawal centre around "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", the statement from Adeshina read.

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 Ayodele Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation".

"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".

In its conclusion, it directed 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".