N36m swallowing Snake: EFCC grills prime suspects from JAMB, nabs three others

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
has confirmed the quizzing of a Joint Admission and Matriculation
Board (JAMB) official, Philomina Chieshe, who claimed that N36
million realised from the sale of scratch cards was swallowed by a
snake.

She was grilled alongside her coordinator in JAMB’s Makurdi
office, Mr. Samuel Sale Umoru.

But the woman suspect was said to have recanted, saying Umoru
actually collected the N36million from her.

Also, the commission has grilled the JAMB clerk in Nasarawa
State, Tanko Labaran, who could not account for N23 million scratch
cards and Yakubu Jakada, who is yet to explain the whereabouts of
N20 million e-facilities cards sold in the Kano office.

Another officer from the Gombe office was grilled for failure to
account for N20 million cards.

The details are contained in a fact-sheet compiled against the
backdrop of agitations on what EFCC has done to the suspects.

Chieshe has been a guest of the EFCC since last year when an
investigation was launched into the massive fraud in JAMB which
preceded the incumbent Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

The fact-sheet indicated that Chieshe was first quizzed on
February 16, 2017 and she made additional statements on April 7 and
13 2017, May 30, 2017 and June 28, 2017.

But, following a video clip showing where she said the N36
million was swallowed by a snake, Chieshe was being subjected to
follow up investigation by EFCC detectives.

The document said: “Philomina Chieshe, the lady in the eye of
the Naira eating snake storm in JAMB, has been singing before the
EFCC. And, contrary to her claim before the leadership of the
examination body that the N36 million proceed from sale of scratch
cards were eaten up by a snake, Chieshe told operatives of the
anti- graft agency that the money was collected piecemeal from her
by her coordinator, Mr. Samuel Sale Umoru.

“In one of the statements she volunteered to the EFCC, Chieshe,
who is a clerk in the Makurdi office of JAMB, revealed that the
Coordinator usually asked her to withdraw proceeds of the sale of
the Scratch Cards from her account in two new generation banks.

“This money I withdrew, the coordinator used it for the office
and some time for himself.

“She claimed that she had been warning Umoru that it was
improper to use the money for miscellaneous expenses in the office
or for private purposes but he would not listen.

“She also claimed that Umoru was in the habit of drawing IOU
from the proceeds of the sale of the cards without reimbursing
her.

“Some of the withdrawals which she claimed were at the behest of
the coordinator included the N340,000 withdrawn on May 5 and 26,
2014 with ATM card. She also disclosed that she used her ATM card
to withdraw N120,000 for the coordinator between June 17 and 18,
2014.”

The document quoted her as saying: “He instructed me to withdraw
N640,000, using my card between June 30, 2014 and July 7, 201.”

An EFCC source confirmed that “the investigating team had
verified the withdrawals after a careful analysis of the statements
of account of the suspect. Mr. Umoru had also been arrested and
questioned about claims by Chieshe.

”Umoru did not deny the allegations. He was however released on
administrative bail but had been reporting monthly to the anti-
graft agency.

“The interesting aspect of the disclosure is that Chieshe’s
statement was obtained long before the snake and Naira swallowing
testimony became public knowledge. In all her statements before the
EFCC, there was no mention of any episode of any snake and the
disappearance of monies in her care.”

The fact-sheet listed other officials being probed as a JAMB
clerk in Nasarawa State office, Tanko Labaran, who could not
account for N23 million scratch cards and Yakubu Jakada who is yet
to explain the whereabouts of N20 million e-facilities cards sold
in Kano office.

The document added: “According to Labaran, he had an accident on
his way from the head office with cards and the vehicle caught fire
and was completely gutted. He had a police report to back the
claim.

“Investigation so far indicates that the cards, which were
supposedly destroyed in the accident, were used judging by evidence
secured from the JAMB information database.

”The serial numbers of the cards and the telephone numbers of
the users were captured by JAMB information system.”

“Another officer from the Gombe office has been quizzed for
failure to account for N20m worth of cards. He claimed not to have
received any cards, that his signature on the letter transferring
the cards to him was forged. But the riddle which operatives of the
EFCC are trying to crack is how it emerged that the affected cards
were used in Gombe and adjourning towns.

“The officer in charge of the Kano office of the board, Yakubu
Jakada, is also under investigation for being unable to account for
e-facilities cards valued at N20 million sold through an agent in
one of the banks. He had claimed that the cards were not sold, and
showed sealed cartons of the supposed cards to auditors from the
agency’s head office.

“But on close examination, it was discovered that the cartons
had been tampered with and stuffed with cardboard papers cut to the
size of e-facilities card.

“All the suspects have made useful statements and released on
bail pending the conclusion of investigation by the EFCC.”