By Hannatu Sadiq
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, declined the oral bail application to Dibu Ojerinde, a former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Mr. Ojerinde is currently under prosecution for corruption by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The trial judge, Obiora Egwuatu, turned down the oral application for bail by defense counsel, P.O Olorunishola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the ICPC’s prosecuting lawyer, Ebenezer Shogunle, opposed the defence lawyer’s submission.
The former chief executive officer of JAMB is the sole defendant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/97/21 bordering on alleged misappropriation of about N900 million.
It would be recalled that the ICPC arrested Mr Ojerinde for allegedly misappropriating N900 million.
A statement posted on the commission’s website said Mr Ojerinde allegedly perpetrated the fraud as JAMB registrar from April 10, 2012 to August 1, 2016, and the Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO) between 1999 and 2007.
The commission said the suspect was interrogated on various allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion, making false statements, and awarding fraudulent contracts to untraceable shell companies.
The statement had read in part, “Professor Ojerinde, who was arrested on March 15, 2021, in Abuja, by operatives of ICPC, is alleged to have committed multiple frauds while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council (NECO)”.
