The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended its charges against Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director-General of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), increasing the counts from 22 to 36 and adding four civil servants as additional defendants.

The newly listed defendants are Patricia Akhigbe, Florence Omameh, Aminu Abdullahi and Ogaba Harry, who are reportedly attached to the offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

The development was disclosed on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court during proceedings in the ongoing case involving alleged forgery and impersonation.

ICPC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court that the commission had filed an amended charge against Adeyemi and four other defendants.

The matter was initially scheduled for the hearing of Adeyemi’s bail application. However, Tahir explained that the arraignment could not proceed because the fourth defendant, Florence Omameh, was absent on health grounds.

He told the court that Adeyemi and the other defendants were present and requested a short adjournment to enable Omameh to appear for the arraignment.

The presiding judge, Halilu Yusuf, granted the application and adjourned the case until November 18 for the arraignment of all five defendants.

Adeyemi was initially arraigned in October on a 22-count charge bordering on alleged forgery and impersonation.

The development followed the withdrawal and subsequent dismissal of an earlier eight-count charge against him by the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 12, after the Federal Government sought to discontinue the proceedings following a review by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The presiding judge, Mohammed Umar, struck out the charge after the government's application.

Adeyemi had first been arraigned on September 30, 2026, over the eight-count charge, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The allegations against him centre on the purported establishment and operation of the PFIPC, which allegedly functioned as a government agency despite having no legal backing or formal presidential approval.

The purported council reportedly secured an allocation in the 2026 national budget, occupied office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and recruited staff, giving the impression that it was an officially recognised government institution.

Adeyemi had also alleged that Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, received N400 million through a proxy in connection with his appointment letter.

With the amended charge, the ICPC has widened the scope of the prosecution to include four additional civil servants, while the court is expected to take the next step in the proceedings on November 18.