NIGERIA: ICPC Increases Charges Against Fake Presidential Council DG to 36, Adds Four Defendants

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has increased the charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, from 22 to 36.

The anti-graft agency also added four defendants to the case, identified as Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh and Patricia Akhigbe.

The development stalled the planned commencement of trial and hearing of Adeyemi’s bail application at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday.

ICPC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), informed the court that the amended charge, filed on November 3, expanded the case into a joint trial involving five defendants.

He explained that the prosecution could not proceed with the arraignment because the fourth defendant, Omameh, was reportedly hospitalised.

According to Tahir, although Omameh had been served with the amended charge and proof of evidence, her absence prevented the prosecution from proceeding.

He consequently asked the court for a short adjournment to enable her to recover and appear for her plea.

Relying on Section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the prosecution argued that an accused person must be present in court during criminal proceedings, subject to statutory exceptions.

Defence counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), did not oppose the amended charges or the adjournment request but drew the court's attention to his client's prolonged detention.

In his ruling, Justice Halilu Yusuf granted the application and adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all the defendants.

The judge also ordered that Adeyemi be returned to the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the other defendants were directed to return to the ICPC detention facility.

The amended charge retains the allegations contained in the previous 22 counts while introducing additional accusations bordering on official corruption, abuse of office, impersonation of a public servant, criminal conspiracy and giving gratification to public officers.

In one of the new counts, the prosecution alleged that Adeyemi, between February 12, 2025, and April 2026, corruptly paid a total of ₦560,000 in six instalments through third-party accounts to Ogaba Harry, an official in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President.

The alleged payments were said to have been made in exchange for access to the offices of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, and the unauthorised release of two government vehicles, a Prado Jeep and a Land Cruiser.

The ICPC also accused Adeyemi of giving and receiving gratification in other counts, as well as criminal conspiracy.

Adeyemi was previously re-arraigned on October 29 on 22 counts bordering on forgery, impersonation and fraud involving an alleged ₦30.8bn government funding request. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The commission alleged that he sought more than ₦27bn as a take-off grant for the purported council and an additional ₦3.8bn for personnel costs through allegedly forged government documents.

It further accused him of forging appointment documents purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to present himself as the council's director-general.

According to the prosecution, the documents were also used to seek government recognition, financial approvals and a domain name from various ministries, departments and agencies.

The anti-graft agency further alleged that Adeyemi occupied government office facilities at the Federal Secretariat Complex using the purported appointment documents.

In the earlier charges, he was accused of offering ₦210,000 to an official in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to facilitate the allocation of office space without authorisation.

He was also accused of offering ₦300,000 to Harry to facilitate the release of the two government vehicles.

Additionally, the commission alleged that Adeyemi obtained ₦20m from the Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, Oyekunle Gbenga, under the pretence of a project facilitation loan connected to a purported ₦2.8bn contract for furniture, electronics and the refurbishment of an official residence.

The alleged offences were said to have occurred between 2024 and 2026.

The case followed a petition by Gbajabiamila to the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services over Adeyemi's claim to head the council.

Investigations reportedly uncovered correspondence between the purported council and several government agencies, as well as 34 bank accounts allegedly linked to its operations, including nine opened in the names of purported government agencies.

President Bola Tinubu had in July directed the ICPC to investigate the activities of the council after the Presidency declared that the Federal Government had never established the organisation and that it had no legal basis.

The allegations against Adeyemi are yet to be established before the court.