President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday suspended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke from office.
Babachir was suspended over allegations of violations of law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said in a statement.
Adesina said the NIA boss was suspended over 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, which the NIA has made a claim.
He said the President has set up a three-man committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and made up of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to conduct the two investigations.
The committee is to submit its report to the President within 14 days.
On the recovered funds by the EFCC, Adesina said the committee is 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.
He said the President has directed that the most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF’s office, and the most senior officer in the NIA should act during the period of the investigations.
