Alleged N10bn fraud: ICPC re-arrests ex-JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde, in Abuja

Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday re-arrested a former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde, in Abuja.

He was arraigned by the commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court, Minna, on an 18-count charge of abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion during his times in the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.

Ojerinde was arraigned by ICPC after the commission rejected the plea bargain application the defendant planned to file in court.

The ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, confirmed the ex-JAMB chief’s re-arrest in a statement in Abuja.

She said Ojerinde’s re-arrest followed a warrant of arrest issued by the court after the commission uncovered new evidence on his ongoing trial.

ICPC operatives, according to Ogugua, uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Limited and Sapati International Schools Limited into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.

The statement read: “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.

READ ALSO: Court denies ex-JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ojerinde, bail over N900m fraud allegations

“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 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 grace on 27th December 2022,” the statement explained.

“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 reportedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi respectively.

“He also reportedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd. The ICPC has recovered the chequebooks of the companies’ accounts from Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the Commission.”

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