ICPC re-arrests ex-JAMB registrar, Ojerinde at Court premises over alleged 5b fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arrested the former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde, on Thursday in Abuja.
Ojerinde, who is already facing trial for allegedly diverting public funds totalling about N5billion, was arrested at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja by operatives of the ICPC, shortly after his case was adjourned till February 15.
According to a statement on Thursday by the Commission’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, Prof. Ojerinde’s re-arrest followed a warrant issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He is expected to face a team of investigators over new evidence uncovered in relation to his ongoing trial for diversion of funds while he was a public officer.
ICPC operatives uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International Schools Ltd into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.
The Commission had on the 12th December, 2022, invited the former JAMB Registrar for questioning over the new evidence but he wrote through his solicitor requesting for 14 days grace to enable him honour the invitation. Ojerinde, however, refused to honour the invitation as undertaken by his counsel after the expiration of the 14 days on 27th December, 2022.
In the course of its ongoing investigation, the Commission unearthed new evidence that suggests that Ojerinde is the sole signatory to various bank accounts operated in the name of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Ltd. Ojerinde allegedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi respectively.
He also allegedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji, to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd.
The ICPC has recovered the cheque books of the companies’ accounts from Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the Commission.
The Commission may likely prosecute the former registrar before a court of competent jurisdiction for offences bothering on forgery of documents, stolen identity, money laundering and concealment of gratification if the new evidence is confirmed.
Ojerinde is currently being prosecuted by the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court Minna on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion while serving as heads of two government agencies, the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.
He had allegedly conferred corrupt advantages upon himself at different times while being Head of JAMB and NECO, thereby violating Sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006.
