News
Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Suspended Over S*xual Harassment Allegations
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Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suspended over s*xual harassment allegations.
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A committee has been set up by the Head of Service to investigate the matter; Lamuwa will remain suspended pending the probe’s outcome.
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The allegations were reported by staff member Simisola Ajayi through a petition detailing multiple instances of harassment.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service due to allegations of s*xual harassment.
The Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, has formed a committee to investigate the matter, and Lamuwa will remain suspended pending the outcome.
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A senior director in the Office of the Head of Service confirmed to The Punch that “the permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up.”
The allegations against Lamuwa were brought to the Head of Service by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, through a petition submitted on behalf of staff member Simisola Ajayi. Ajayi has accused Lamuwa of serial s*xual harassment, creating an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment.
The petition, signed by Adebayo A. Oniyelu of Falana & Falana’s, detailed multiple instances of harassment, including inappropriate advances and remarks made by Lamuwa during a policy retreat on October 7, 2023, and an incident on November 10, 2023, where Lamuwa allegedly invited Ajayi to travel to Hong Kong with promises of personal benefits.
In a letter dated May 27, 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the gravity of the allegations and requested that the matter be handled accordingly.
“I am compelled to write to inform you of a formal complaint against the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa, on allegations of s*xual harassment.
Permanent Secretary
“Bearing in mind the gravity of the matter, I feel it necessary to draw your attention to it and ask that you handle it accordingly,” the minister stated in the letter.
An official familiar with the case has confirmed that a probe panel has been set up and pieces of evidence and witnesses will be gathered to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said, “Yes, the Head of Service has set up a committee to probe the whole matter. There are pieces of evidence, which will be tabled and witnesses who will also be invited to speak on the matter, so it is not a matter that will be swept under the carpet.
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“The minister (Tuggar) is also very much interested in the outcome. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a special ministry that operates even outside the shores of the country, so you can’t expect that an issue of such gravity will be swept under the carpet.”
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