ICPC AMENDS CHARGES AGAINST ADEYEMI, FOUR OTHERS OVER ALLEGED FRAUD
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Agency Report
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended the charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged director-general of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), increasing the counts from 22 to 36.
Prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, disclosed this in court, stating that four other suspects had been included in the amended charge. They are Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh and Patricia Akhigbe.
The case was initially instituted by the Nigerian Police.
Monday’s proceedings, which were scheduled for the hearing of Adeyemi’s bail application, could not proceed as planned following the amendment of the charges. The development required all the defendants, including Adeyemi, to enter their pleas.
However, arraignment was stalled due to the absence of the fourth defendant, Omameh, who was reportedly unable to attend court on health grounds.
The other defendants were present.
Tahir told the court that Omameh’s absence had prevented the prosecution from proceeding with the arraignment, noting that the matter involved a criminal charge.
“Her unavailability in court has constrained the prosecution from proceeding with the arraignment, this being a criminal charge,” he said.
The prosecution counsel relied on Section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), arguing that an accused person must be present in court throughout the trial, subject to the exceptions provided by the law.
He consequently requested a brief adjournment to allow Omameh time to recover and appear in court to enter her plea.
Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose the amended charges or the request for an adjournment.
However, he drew the court’s attention to his client’s prolonged detention.
Justice Yusuf Halilu subsequently adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of the defendants.
The judge also ordered that Adeyemi be returned to the Kuje Correctional Facility, while the other defendants were to be taken back to the ICPC detention facility.
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