Ojerinde, who was arrested on Monday in Abuja by operatives of ICPC, is alleged to have committed multiple frauds while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has arrested a former Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof Dibu Ojerinde, for allegedly misappropriating N900 million.
Ojerinde, who was arrested on Monday in Abuja by operatives of ICPC, is alleged to have committed multiple frauds while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council.
It was learnt that the commission grilled him over allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements to public officials.
The former JAMB boss is also being questioned by the commission for allegedly awarding fraudulent contracts to shell companies which cannot be traced.
According to a release by the ICPC on Wednesday, he was alleged to have awarded contracts for the supply of pencils and erasers at the cost of N450 million each, to Double 07 Concept Limited and Pristine Global Concept Limited respectively, between 2013 and 2014 while heading JAMB.
“There is no evidence to show that the items which are examination materials were supplied as the contractors cannot be found.
“Similar contracts were allegedly awarded to Solid Figures Limited, Holywalk Limited and other companies for various sums without any trace of executions.
“Professor Ojerinde is being held on a remand warrant and will soon be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation,” the commission said.
Another reason why anti-graft agencies started fishing for dirt on Ojerinde was because JAMB under the current Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, has been declaring billions of naira as profit every year.
For instance, in two short years of Oloyede’s administration, JAMB remitted N15.6 billion into the Federal Government Treasury.
Meanwhile, in the 38 years of JAMB’s existence before the arrival of Prof. Oloyede, only a paltry sum of N54 million operating surplus had been remitted to government coffers.