ICPC to appeal court ruling ordering ex-JAMB registrar, Ojerinde’s release

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) will appeal a court ruling ordering the release of the ex-registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of the ex-JAMB chief.

The judge, who gave the order in a rights enforcement suit filed by Ojerinde also ordered the commission to pay a N1 million fine to the plaintiff over his unlawful arrest.

He equally awarded N200,000 against the ICPC as the plaintiff’s cost of filing the case.

The commission arrested the ex-JAMB registrar in March 2021 and arraigned him on an 18-count charge of alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of N5.2 billion on June 6 of the same year.

He was later granted bail by the court.

After Ojerinde was re-arrested by ICPC operatives in the court premises on January 23, he sued the commission for alleged violation of his right to dignity and liberty.

READ ALSO: ICPC arraigns ex-JAMB chief, Ojerinde, sons on fresh corruption charge

The commission declared its intention to appeal the ruling in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua.

The statement read: “The anti-corruption agency had a valid warrant issued by the chief judge of the federal high court dated 6th December 2022.

“Ojerinde had used several false names, aliases, and forged means of identification such as Akanbi Lamidi, Adeniyi Banji, Habibulahi Lamidi, Joshua Olaniran Olakuleyin, etc to perpetrate his corrupt practices through various bank accounts and still retains the resources and influence to evade justice.“

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