BREAKING: President Buhari finally suspends SGF Babachir Lawal and NIA's DG

After so much pressure from every angle, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday, April 19, finally bow to those pressure to suspend the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke.

Femi Adesina, who is the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity made the information pubic through a statement signed and issued today.

Tellforceblog gathered that Lawal was found guilty of complicity in the finances designated for the welfare of the Internally Displace Persons, IDPs by the Senate and they had asked the president to remove him.

The Senate report indicted Lawal for allegedly contravening the provisions of the public procurement act and the Nigerian government’s financial rules and regulations relating to award of contracts.

Read the full statement below:

"President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into 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.

"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 Ayo 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.

"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."

However, according to the Punch, Lawal was reportedly holding a meeting with the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo when his suspension was announced.