President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr David Babachir Lawal and ordered an investigation into allegations of violations of law and due process levelled against Lawal.
He had been accused of inflating figures and violating laws in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
A statement by Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, says the President has equally ordered an investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment in Lagos southwest of the country, 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.
“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,” the statement says.
