ICPC arrests former JAMB registrar Ojerinde again

Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde, a former registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, was re-arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Thursday in Abuja, according to The PUNCH.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had issued a warrant, which led to Ojerinde's detention.

He will likely go before a group of investigators to discuss fresh information related to his ongoing trial for diverting cash while serving as a public official.

The ICPC agents discovered two accounts formed in the names of Sapati International Schools Ltd and Trillium Learning Centre Ltd into which money had been siphoned off using bogus student identities.

This was revealed in a statement from the anti-graft organization's spokeswoman, Azuka Ogugua, that our correspondent was able to receive on Thursday.

Ogugua noted that the former JAMB registrar had been called by the panel to testify about the fresh evidence on December 12, 2022, but he wrote through his attorney to ask for 14 days of leeway so that he could accept the invitation. However, Ojerinde declined to accept the invitation made by his counsel after the 14-day grace period had expired on December 27, 2022.

The ICPC claimed that new information discovered over the course of its ongoing inquiry indicated that Ojerinde is the only signatory to a number of bank accounts held in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Limited.

According to reports, Ojerinde used fake identities and forgeries to handle such accounts under the names Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi, respectively. He allegedly used Adeniyi Banji, another fictitious name, to run a different account under the name Standout Institutes Ltd.

The ICPC stated that it had obtained the checkbooks for the companies' accounts from Ojerinde, who was being held at the commission's headquarters.

If the new evidence is proven, it was stated that it may likely pursue the former registrar before a court of competent jurisdiction for offenses involving document forgery, identity theft, money laundering, and concealment of benefit.

Ojerinde is currently facing 18 counts of abuse of power and fraud totaling around N10 billion from the commission before the Federal High Courts in Abuja and Minna while serving as the head of two government organizations, the National Examination Council and JAMB.

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