From Paulinus Aidoghie and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), has said that all staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that were involved in the case of alleged sexual misconduct by its permanent secretary must appear at the commission’s headquarters for questioning.
The ICPC Spokesperson, Mr. Demola Bakare, who disclosed this to Saturday Sun via a phone interview on Friday, also confirmed that the commission has invited the official, Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi, who accused Ibrahim Lamuwa, the permanent secretary in the ministry of sexual harassment.
Ajayi had leveled allegations of sexual harassment against Lamuwa, which prompted investigation by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and subsequent suspension of the permanent secretary.
Lamuwa has since denied the allegation, tagging it as ‘malicious claims.’
Meanwhile, a letter spotted online on Thursday, which was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, showed that the ICPC had requested the accuser’s presence at their headquarters for an interview.
Reacting to the letter, the ICPC spokesperson said; “There is a system for investigation. We have to see all the allegations before we know who to invite, it may extend beyond the perm secretary. We do not know the allegations, so she has been invited; the letter has been written to the ministry, the people to be invited have been invited.
“Everybody involved in this matter will have their day with us. We are not leaving any stone unturned.”
The Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, claimed not to be aware of the development, but admitted that he only saw the news about the invitation of their staff by the anti-graft agency in the media.
Mrs. Fajemirokun-Ajayi, currently working as an aide to the minister of Foreign Affairs, had claimed in her complaint that she experienced persistent sexual harassment by Mr. Lamuwa, which escalated to the extent that she became scared of potential assault.
But, Lamuwa in his response to the petition denied all the allegations leveled against him.
