N5.2bn Fraud: Court Dismisses Ex-JAMB Boss Prof. Ojerinde’s No-Case Submission!
Professor Lawrence Adedibu Ojerinde, the former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), filed a no-case submission against the N5.2 billion fraud charges against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), but the Federal High Court in Abuja rejected it on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the decision rejecting the no-case motion.
The ICPC first arrested Ojerinde in 2021 on charges of official abuse and illegal diversion of an estimated N5.2 billion from public funds.
Ojerinde’s No-Case Submission and the ICPC Case
In an 18-count allegation presented to Justice Egwuatu, the ICPC claimed that Ojerinde had engaged in many frauds while serving as the head of JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Ebenezer Shogunle, a deputy commissioner of the ICPC and the prosecutor, supported the proof of evidence, which stated that the defendant was accused of giving himself a corrupt advantage while serving as the chief executive of NECO and the registrar/chief executive of JAMB, respectively.
According to the ICPC, these acts were against Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of 2006 and Sections 19, 24, and 25(1)(a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act of 2000.
According to one of the counts, “On or around February 16, 2009, in Abuja, you, Professor Lawrence Adedibu Ojerinde, used your position as Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to confer corrupt advantage upon one Jimoh Olabisi Olatunde, a public officer, by giving Zenith Bank Plc instructions to open an account No. 1002833087 in the name of JAMB/J.O. Olabisi, into which you subsequently divert a cumulative sum of N2,769,083,044.04 (Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Eighty-Three Thousand, Forty-Four Naira, Four Kobo), property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, thereby committing an offense against and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Legal Advancements
Ojerinde entered a not guilty plea at arraignment, opening the door for a full trial.
After then, the case was postponed to July 22 and 23, 2021, when the trial would begin, and the ICPC called witnesses to support its claims.
The defense team then filed a no-case submission, arguing that Ojerinde had no case to answer and that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case against the defendant.
The court was requested by the defense to drop Ojerinde’s allegations.
The prosecution, however, insisted that the court needed to order the former JAMB chairman to enter his defense because the commission had proven its case.
Court Ruling
- In his ruling on the no-case submission, Justice Egwuatu held that relevant laws stipulate that a court must determine, among other things, whether there is evidence linking a defendant with an offense.
- The judge observed that, as per the charges against the defendant, seven of the counts border on advance fee fraud, while others relate to corrupt practices.
- He highlighted that witnesses had appeared in court to give evidence relating to the charges against the defendant.
- Based on this, the judge stated his opinion that elements of the offense had been identified by the ICPC witnesses, requiring the defendant to enter a defense.
“The no-case submission fails and is dismissed,” the judge said.
- Egwuatu ruled that the defendant (Ojerinde) is called upon to enter his defense and subsequently fixed July 16 for the commencement of the defense.
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE APP STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON WINDOWS
VISIT EXAMSCHOLARS.COM for more info
