“Illness Stalls Arraignment In 36-Count PFIPC Case” — Court Remands Adeyemi, Four Civil Servants To Take Pleas November 18

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has filed an amended 36-count charge against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the purported Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, adding four civil servants as co-defendants in the case.

The amended charge increased the previous 22 counts against Adeyemi to 36.

Prosecution counsel Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, informed the court on Monday that Aminu Abdullahi, Ogaba Harry, Florence Omameh and Patricia Akhigbe had been joined as defendants in the amended charge.

The case was originally instituted by the Nigeria Police before the ICPC took over the prosecution.

Monday’s proceedings had initially been scheduled for the hearing of Adeyemi’s bail application, but the amendment of the charge meant that all five defendants were required to be arraigned and enter their pleas.

The arraignment, however, could not proceed because the fourth defendant, Omameh, was absent from court on health grounds.

The other defendants were present in court.

Explaining why the prosecution could not proceed, Tahir said: “Her unavailability in court has constrained the prosecution from proceeding with the arraignment, this being a criminal charge.”

The prosecution counsel relied on Section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in asking the court for an adjournment.

He argued that an accused person was required to be present in court throughout the trial, subject to the exceptions provided under the law.

Tahir consequently urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable Omameh to recover and appear before the court to take her plea alongside the other defendants.

Counsel to Adeyemi, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, did not oppose either the amended charge or the prosecution’s request for an adjournment.

He, however, drew the court’s attention to what he described as Adeyemi’s prolonged detention.

Following the development, Justice Yusuf Halilu 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 Facility pending the next proceedings.

The other defendants were ordered to return to the ICPC detention facility.

The five defendants are expected to take their pleas to the amended 36-count charge when the case resumes on November 18.

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