More revelations on the N35million swallowed by a snake in JAMB office

New details of how the pair of Samuel Umoru, Chief Accounting Officer of the Makurdi Zonal Office of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and Philomina Chieshe, a clerical officer in the same office, conspired to prevent the auditor of the board, Ibrahim Oba, from conducting a financial audit of the zonal office with a N50,000 bribe.

This was disclosed by the first witness to the trial, Patrick Obilo, who is also an auditor with the board, as he appeared on 30 September 2019 before FCT High Court Justice Peter Affen in Maitama, Abuja.

Mr Umoru and Ms Chieshe are both first and second defendants in an indictment brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the disappearance of the N35 million belonging to JAMB in its Makurdi Zonal Office, where both work.

During Mr Obilo’s cross-examination by prosecutor Ekele Iheanacho, he revealed that Mr Oba was sent to JAMB’s Makurdi office in 2016 for a routine examination of account books and consignment notes showing the quantity of products provided, such as e-facility cards used for checking and printing results, changing of course cards, scratch cards, question and answer cards, receipts or tellers.

He revealed that Ms Chieshe visited Mr Oba’s hotel room during this exercise with an envelope containing a amount of N50,000 as a “present” from her boss, Mr Umoru, and told him to return back to Abuja.

Mr. Obilo’s auditor sensed danger and returned to Abuja, reporting the situation to James Ochijele, head of JAMB’s audit unit, who ordered the N50,000 “gift” to be paid into the board’s account.

Mr Ochijele had to substitute Mr Oba for the same task at the Makurdi office with the witness (Obilo). While examining the account books in the Makurdi Office, Mr Obilo said he discovered a shortfall in the proceeds from the sales of e-facility cards and changing of course forms to the tune of N35,480,000, which were not remitted to the account of the board.

Asked for an explanation, Ms. Chieshe started crying as she gave all kinds of justifications for the money’s disappearance, including a story that a mystery snake had swallowed the money in Umoru’s office, even as it was held in a safe.

She stated in another amazing tale that a mermaid appeared to her in her bedroom at different times to attack her and that her housemaid was a witch.

The actual problem began with the coming on board of Ishaq Oloyede as JAMB’s registrar for Mr Umoru and Ms Chieshe, who set up a reconciliation committee to examine the records of all state offices. This commission uncovered a monumental stealing.

With no counsel objections to the accused, the prosecution tendered the reconciliation committee’s report and its summary, which was accepted in proof by Justice Affen.

Under Mark Fees ‘ cross-examination, counsel to Ms Chieshe, Mr Obilo said that each of the e-facility cards, changing f course forms and other cards are sold at N1000 per unit, revealing that Mr Umoru was the sales coordinator at the period in his capacity as Chief Accounting Officer of the Makurdi Office of the Board and had records of all cards supplied to the office and the proceeds.

In response to Ms Chieshe’s assertion that she made some payments on the board’s account but lost the tellers, the witness disclosed that the bank statements traced to confirm the said payments did not establish any of the payments claimed by the second defendant.

The judge of the court adjourned the case for ongoing trial until January 21, 2020.

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