Few weeks back, a JAMB official, Philomina Chieshe, claimed that the
board’s N36 million was swallowed by a strange snake.
Chieshe, who works as a clerk at the JAMB office in Markurdi, Benue state, initially told JAMB auditors that a, “mysterious snake” swallowed the money gotten from the sale of JAMB scratch cards.
But appearing before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC), she confessed that the money was collected by one Samuel Umoru,
who’s her superior.
A fact sheet released by the EFCC indicated that Chieshe was first
quizzed on February 16th, 2017 and she made additional statements on
April 7 and 13 2017, May 30, 2017 and June 28, 2017.
In one of the statements she volunteered to the EFCC, Chieshe, who is
a clerk in the Makurdi office of JAMB, revealed that the Coordinator
usually asked her to withdraw proceeds of the sale of the Scratch Cards
from her account in two new generation banks.
She said, “ This money I withdrew, the coordinator used it for the office and some time for himself.
The woman said she had been warning Umoru that it was improper to use
the money for miscellaneous expenses in the office or for private
purposes but he would not listen.
She also claimed that Umoru was in the
habit of drawing IOU from the proceeds of the sale of the cards without
reimbursing her.
Some of the withdrawals which she claimed were at the
behest of the coordinator included the N340,000 withdrawn on May 5 and
26, 2014 with ATM card. She also disclosed that she used her ATM card to
withdraw N120,000 for the coordinator between June 17 and 18, 2014.
“He
instructed me to withdraw N640,000, using my card between June 30, 2014
and July 7, 2014.”
She added.
The investigating team had verified the withdrawals after
a careful analysis of the statements of account of the suspect. Umoru
had also been arrested and questioned about claims by Chieshe. Umoru did
not deny the allegations.
“He was, however, released on administrative bail but had been
reporting monthly to the anti- graft agency. The interesting aspect of
the disclosure is that Chieshe’s statement was obtained long before the
snake and Naira swallowing testimony became public knowledge.”
In all her statements before the EFCC, there was no mention of any
episode of any snake and the disappearance of monies in her care. In a
fact-sheet regarding the investigations, Chieshe was quoted to have said
her superior — the coordinator at the Markurdi office — had asked her
to withdraw the N36 million.”
Other JAMB officials being investigated include Tanko Labaran who
could not account for N23 million from sale of scratch cards at the
Nasarawa office, and Yakubu Jakada who is yet to explain the whereabouts
of N20 million e-facilities cards sold in Kano office.
All the suspects have been released on bail pending the outcome of the anti-graft agency’s investigations.