The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday rearrested former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde.
Mr Ojerinde was picked up by operatives on the anti-corruption agency at the premises of the court where he had been standing trial for alleged fraud.
The spokesperson for ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement said that Mr Ojerinde was rearrested following a warrant issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He is expected to face a team of ICPC investigators over new evidence uncovered in relation to his ongoing trial for diversion of funds while he was a public officer.
Ms Ogugua said that the rearrest of Mr Ojerinde was due to his refusal to honour the commission’s invitation extended to him in December 2022.
“ICPC operatives uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International Schools Ltd into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.
“The Commission had on Dec. 12, 2022, invited the former JAMB Registrar for questioning over the new evidence but he wrote through his solicitor requesting 14 days’ grace to enable him to honour the invitation.
“Ojerinde, however, refused to honour the invitation as undertaken by his counsel after the expiration of the 14 days grace on Dec. 27, 2022.
“In the course of its ongoing investigation, the Commission unearthed new evidence that suggests that Ojerinde is the sole signatory to various bank accounts operated in the name of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Ltd.
“Ojerinde reportedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi, respectively.
“He also reportedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd, ” she alleged.
Ms Ogugua further explained that the ICPC also recovered the cheque books of the companies’ accounts from Mr Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the commission.
According to her, the commission may likely prosecute Mr Ojerinde before a court of competent jurisdiction.
She added that he would be tried on offences bordering on forgery of documents, stolen identity, money laundering and concealment of gratification, if the new evidence is confirmed.
“Ojerinde is currently being prosecuted by the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court Minna on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion.
“He committed the offences while serving as heads of two government agencies, the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.
“He had allegedly conferred corrupt advantages upon himself at different times while being Head of JAMB and NECO, thereby violating Sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006, ” she added.
(NAN)
