JAMB revenue officer, boss stole N36.5m – EFCC witness alleges

TRACKING_____An EFCC witness, Stanley Ani, on Tuesday told an FCT High Court, N36.5 million was not remitted to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as revenue.

The EFCC charged Philomina Chieshe, a JAMB revenue officer who once claimed a snake swallowed the money in her custody and her boss, Samuel Umoru, the state coordinator in Makurdi office, with eight counts bordering on conspiracy, breach of trust and misappropriation.

They were accused of conspiring among themselves between August 2014 and July 2016 and misappropriated funds belonging to JAMB, an agency of the Federal Government contrary to Section 97 (2) of the Penal Code Law.

The anti graft agency alleged that the defendants committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable by Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.

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They however, pleaded not guilty.

Testifying as the prosecution fourth witness (PW2), Ani told the court in his evidence that the 2nd defendant’s accounts in Zenith and ECO banks were investigated.

He said an extraction was made on the inflows coming into these accounts.

“We discovered that a total of N29 million was credited to Chieshe’s account between January 2014 to February 2017.

“Out of it, N2 million came in as her legitimate earnings from JAMB as salaries, allowances as well as dividends as a member of JAMB co-operative society.

“ We also discovered that N26.9 million came in from various agents who were contracted by her to sale e-facility cards and remit to the Zenith account.

” From her account we discovered that there were no remittance to JAMB rather, almost all her withdrawals were through ATM,” he said.

Ani told the court that Chieshe submitted copies of the original tellers showing where she deposited money into Umoru’s account on his instructions from the proceeds of the sale of the e- facility.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr Ekene Iheanocho, tendered the documents as evidence.

When cross-examined by A.I. Ihejirika, Umoru ‘s counsel , the witness told the court that there was no outright statement written as money from the sale of e-facility .

He added that but ,Chieshe did explain to them that her boss( Umoru ) usually collects money from the proceeds of e-facility as IOU.

After Ani’s testimony, Justice Peter Affen, adjourned until June 1 for continuation of trial.