ICPC arrests former JAMB registrar, Dibu Ojerinde, over alleged N900m fraud, others

A FORMER Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating N900million.

Ojerinde, who was arrested  this afternoon, by the operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, was alleged to have perpetrated multiple fraud while calling the shots at JAMB and the National Examination Council.

The former JAMB registrar has been detained by the Commission for questioning over allegations of financial malfeasance that marked his years in the saddle of two vital national examination bodies.

Ojerinde will answer questions on allegations bordering on  multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements to public officials.

According to a statement issued today  by the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, Ojerinde allegedly awarded contracts for the supply of pencils and erasers at the cost of N450 million each to Double 07 Concept Ltd. and Pristine Global Concept Ltd., respectively, between 2013 and 2014 while heading JAMB.

The commission said, “There is no evidence to show that the items which are examination materials were supplied as the contractors cannot be found.

“Similar contracts were allegedly awarded to Solid Figures Limited, Holywalk Limited and other companies for various sums without any trace of executions.

“Professor Ojerinde is being held on a remand warrant and will soon be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation.’’

The Federal Government had last year seized some of Ojerinde’s properties through an interim forfeiture order granted by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The court said the properties were likely acquired with public funds and thus represent proceeds of unlawful corrupt activities.

Ojerinde was at the helm in JAMB for nine years (2007-2016). 

Professor Ishaq  Oloyede succeeded Ojerinde at the end of his nine-year reign.

Oloyede has been successively remitting funds to the federal coffers ever since he took over the reins of leadership from Ojerinde.

It is on record that Oloyede has remitted unspent funds of about N5 billion in his five year reign as JAMB boss, an  amount Ojerinde did not remit in his nine years in office.