HoS suspends permanent intelligence service and orders investigation

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, has been suspended by the Office of the Chief of Staff over allegations of sexual harassment.

The head of the department, Folashade Yemi-Esan, said the permanent secretary would be suspended pending the completion of the investigation into the allegations against him.

“The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the completion of the investigation by the appointed committee,” a senior director of the OHCSF told our correspondent in Abuja.

It has been revealed that following a petition by Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar against Lamuwa, the Ministry of Interior has set up a committee to investigate the case.

The plaintiff in the petition filed by Tuggar was one Simisola Ajayi, who repeatedly accused Lamuwa of sexual harassment.

Ajayi described alleged cases of harassment in the petition filed by her lawyer Femi Falana (SAN).

In a letter to the Secretary of State dated May 27, 2024, Tuggar expressed concern about the seriousness of the allegations against the Secretary of State.

“I am compelled to write to you a formal complaint against the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa, over allegations of sexual harassment.

“Given the seriousness of the matter, I consider it necessary to draw your attention to it and ask you to act accordingly,” the minister said in the letter.

An official familiar with the case told our correspondent on Wednesday that the HoS had set up a commission of inquiry after receiving Tuggar’s letter into the allegations against Lamuwa.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, said: “Yes, the head of the service has set up a committee to investigate the whole matter. There are pieces of evidence that will be presented and witnesses who will also be invited to comment on the matter. So it is not an issue that will be swept under the carpet.”

“The minister (Tuggar) is also very interested in the outcome. The Foreign Ministry is a special ministry that also operates outside the country’s borders. So you cannot expect such a serious problem to be swept under the carpet.”

Ajayi had accused the Permanent Secretary of repeated sexual harassment in a petition addressed to Tuggar on May 29, 2024.

The petition, signed by Adebayo A. Oniyelu LP of Falana & Falana’s, was titled “Request for an investigation into cases of sexual harassment in the workplace, abuse of office, official intimidation and discrimination by Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa.”

According to the petition, Ajayi reported several cases of alleged harassment by Lamuwa, which resulted in an unsafe and unpleasant work environment.

For example, she claimed that Lamuwa made inappropriate advances towards her during a political retreat on October 7, 2023 and suggested that she accompany him to his hotel room.

He reportedly continued to make inappropriate comments throughout the retreat.

She also referred to an incident on 10 November 2023 in which Lamuwa allegedly invited Ajayi to travel to Hong Kong and promised him significant personal benefits from the trip.