ICPC Amends Charges Against Adeniyi Adeyemi, Adds 4 Co-Defendants

• The ICPC has increased charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged fake Director-General of a non-existent council, from 22 to 36 counts.
• Four new defendants, Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh, and Patricia Akhigbe, have been added to the case.
• The planned trial was postponed because one of the new defendants, Florence Omameh, was hospitalized, preventing a joint arraignment.
• New allegations include official corruption, abuse of office, impersonation, criminal conspiracy, and giving gratification, such as a ₦560,000 payment to a public officer.
• The FCT High Court adjourned the case to November 18, citing Section 266 of the ACJA 2015, which requires all accused persons to be present for criminal proceedings.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has significantly expanded its case against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the individual accused of falsely representing himself as the Director-General of a non-existent government body, by increasing the number of charges from 22 to 36 and introducing four additional defendants.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has significantly expanded its case against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the individual accused of falsely representing himself as the Director-General of a non-existent government body. The charges against Adeyemi, who claimed leadership of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, have been increased from 22 to 36 counts. This development also introduces four new co-defendants into the legal proceedings: Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh, and Patricia Akhigbe.

This substantial amendment to the charges, filed on November 3, led to the postponement of the scheduled commencement of trial and the hearing of Adeyemi's bail application before the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja. ICPC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), informed the court that the expanded scope now necessitates a joint trial involving all five defendants. The proceedings could not advance as planned due to the reported hospitalization of the fourth defendant, Florence Omameh, despite her having been served with the amended charge and proof of evidence.

The newly introduced charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi encompass a broader spectrum of alleged offenses, including official corruption, abuse of office, impersonation of a public servant, criminal conspiracy, and the giving of gratification to public officers. These allegations build upon the initial 22 counts, which focused on forgery, impersonation, and fraud, for which Adeyemi was re-arraigned on October 29.

Specifically, Count 25 of the amended charges details an alleged corrupt payment of ₦560,000.00 by Adeyemi to Ogaba Harry, identified as the Chief Accountant in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President. This sum was purportedly transferred in six tranches between February 12, 2025, and April 2026, through third-party accounts. The prosecution asserts these payments were made to secure unauthorized access to the offices of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, and to obtain two official vehicles—a Prado Jeep and a Land Cruiser Jeep—without proper authorization. Furthermore, Counts 28 and 29 accuse Adeyemi of both giving and receiving gratification, contravening Sections 8(1)(a) and 9(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, with penalties outlined in Sections 8(1)(b)(ii) and 9(1)(b) of the same Act. Count 31 also alleges criminal conspiracy, a violation of Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Cap. 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

The inability to proceed with the joint arraignment stemmed from a crucial legal requirement under Nigerian law. ICPC counsel Sylvanus Tahir emphasized that Section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (ACJA 2015) mandates the presence of all accused persons in court throughout criminal proceedings, subject only to statutory exceptions. Omameh's absence, therefore, rendered the prosecution unable to move forward with the arraignment of all five defendants.

Adeyemi's defense counsel, Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), did not object to the amended charges or the request for an adjournment, though he took the opportunity to remind the court of his client's prolonged detention. Justice Halilu Yusuf, presiding over the FCT High Court, subsequently granted the application for adjournment. The case has now been rescheduled for November 18, when all defendants are expected to be present for their arraignment. The court further directed that Adeniyi Adeyemi be returned to the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the four newly added defendants were ordered to remain in the custody of the ICPC detention facility.

This development underscores the procedural complexities in multi-defendant criminal prosecutions, particularly the strict adherence to Section 266 of the ACJA 2015 regarding the presence of all accused persons for arraignment. Lawyers should note the ICPC's expanded scope of charges, including official corruption and gratification, which may signal a more aggressive enforcement posture against public and private sector malfeasance.

Source: Original reporting via PUNCH Online