Aug 22, 2026

ICPC Uncovers Fourth Fake Agency Inside OSGF as Tinubu Orders Arrests

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in news

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Abuja, August 22, 2026 — Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered yet another fictitious federal agency operating from within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), prompting President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate arrest of its alleged promoter and the suspension of three permanent secretaries.

The newly exposed entity, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, was found to have been illegally allocated office space inside the OSGF complex without presidential authorization or any legal foundation.

ICPC Chairman Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu disclosed the findings on Friday after briefing the President at the Presidential Villa.

The Latest Discovery and Immediate Presidential Action

According to the ICPC, the outfit was promoted by George Buchi Nwabueze, who investigators say operated under multiple variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.

President Tinubu responded decisively. He directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries—M.S. Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah — pending the outcome of further investigations.

The President also ordered a wider forensic audit of government processes and internal controls across ministries, departments and agencies.

Part of a Growing Pattern

The latest revelation emerged during the ICPC’s ongoing investigation into the earlier Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal.

That probe, ordered by Tinubu in July, had already established that the PFIPC was a fictitious body never created by law or executive order and that its self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, had allegedly used forged documents.

In the course of that investigation, the ICPC previously uncovered two additional fictitious agencies linked to Adeyemi: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership.

The National Brands Development office now becomes the fourth such entity identified in the widening inquiry.

ICPC officials have stressed that the discoveries point to deeper systemic weaknesses in verification, supervision, and accountability within the federal public service that allowed unauthorized entities to secure office space and project an appearance of legitimacy.

What Happens Next

The commission says investigations remain ongoing to identify all individuals who may have facilitated or collaborated in the establishment and operation of these unauthorized offices.

Prosecutions are expected to follow, while the ordered forensic review aims to close the procedural loopholes that made such infiltrations possible.

For ordinary Nigerians watching the successive revelations, the episode underscores long-standing concerns about the integrity of public institutions and the ease with which fraudulent structures can embed themselves within government systems.

How thoroughly the current investigations are pursued — and whether accountability reaches every level involved — will determine whether this becomes a genuine turning point or another chapter in a familiar cycle of exposure without lasting reform.