EFCC invites ex-JAMB directors as panel uncovers N8bn fraud

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to invite a current director and an ex-director of the Joint Adm...

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to invite a current director and an ex-director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for alleged fraud.

This is just as the panel set up by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to probe JAMB discovered that the examination body failed to remit revenues in excess of N8bn to the Federal Government between 2010 and 2015.

The amount includes unremitted Value Added Tax and Withholding Tax.

The investigation was sequel to the remittance of N7.8bn to the Federal Government by JAMB led by Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

The minister therefore set up a panel to understand why the highest amount that JAMB had ever remitted into the consolidated revenue fund before the current management was N3m.

A source at the EFCC said, “We are closing in on some senior officials of JAMB allegedly fingered in the loss of over N8bn revenue.

“Following the submission of the audit report, we set up a crack investigative panel to review the report and take further investigative steps to bring indicted culprits to book.

“We are looking at a number of accounts with suspicious inflows and outflows. From the detailed analyses of the accounts, we have identified a few officers that would help our investigations because funds have been traced to their accounts. Very soon, we will be inviting them for questioning.

“Among the officers that we may invite are a serving director and a retired director of the examination body.”

The source also revealed that the commission was set to prosecute some officials of JAMB already indicted in the investigation around the loss of revenues from sale of scratch cards by some of the state offices of the examination body.

Among those to be arraigned soon is an official based in Makurdi, Philomina Chieshe, who reportedly claimed that a snake swallowed N36m.

The money was part of the proceeds of the sale of scratch cards.

Chieshe who was arrested months back by the EFCC allegedly told interrogators that the money was collected in instalments from her by her Coordinator, Mr. Samuel Umoru.

She claimed that the coordinator usually asked her to withdraw proceeds of the sale of the cards from her account in two banks.