Alleged N900m Fraud: Court denies ex-JAMB registrar, Ojerinde, bail
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, declined granting bail to Dibu Ojerinde, a former Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), who is being prosecuted for corruption by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The trial judge, Obiora Egwuatu, turned down the oral application for bail by defence counsel, P.O Olorunishola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ICPC’s prosecuting lawyer, Ebenezer Shogunle, opposed the defence lawyer’s submission.
The former chief executive officer of JAMB is the sole defendant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/97/21 bordering on alleged misappropriation of about N900 million.
Mr Ojerinde was arrested by the ICPC in March.
A statement posted on the commission’s website said then that Mr Ojerinde was arrested and being held on a remand warrant for allegedly misappropriating N900 million.
It added that Mr Ojerinde allegedly perpetrated the fraud as JAMB registrar from April 10, 2012 to August 1, 2016, and the Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO) between 1999 and 2007.
The commission said the suspect was interrogated on various allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion, making false statements, and awarding fraudulent contracts to untraceable shell companies.
The statement had read in part, “Professor Ojerinde, who was arrested on March 15, 2021, in Abuja, by operatives of ICPC, is alleged to have committed multiple frauds while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council (NECO).
“He has been detained by the commission for questioning over allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements to public officials.”
============