Investigations are ongoing to uncover more frauds perpetrated by some staffers of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) totaling N145 million in seven offices of the federation.
The board had adopted sale of forms by scratch cards to intending applicants years ago and changed it to an online registration seen to be fraud-proof two years ago to stem the fraudulent practices by its staffers.
Our correspondent gathered on Friday that while the board was investigating N31m misappropriated revenue in Edo and N20m in Kano, it was quizzing officials in Plateau and Gombe over N15m and N10m mismanaged in the states respectively.
It was also learnt that the examination board was investigating the misappropriation of N7m in its office in Kogi State.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the JAMB Head of Information, who confirmed the figures on Friday, said the board would be diligent in its investigations and would not tolerate corrupt practices from any of its officials.
“We will monitor with careful scrutiny how workers handled public funds. We are trying to block all leakages and loopholes,” he said.
A reliable source told our correspondent that all the workers of the board found to have been involved in corrupt activities being investigated had been suspended while investigations were ongoing.
He said, “What happened was that we had a panel session in Abuja and most of the state coordinators could not account for how some monies were spent or remitted. The coordinator of Kano State could not account for N20m, while the Edo (office) could not account for N31m. In Plateau State, we are looking at N15m.
“For Kogi State, we have about N7m that is a source of contention while Gombe office has N10m that is also a source of contention. You can then sum it up and know how much corruption ate deep into some officials.
“The registrar is frank and thorough about the investigations and he has warned to transfer some of the cases to the police and to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”
A case of N36m allegedly misappropriated by Philomena Chieshe, a clerk at the JAMB office in Makurdi, Benue State, was recently reported by the media.
It was reported that Chieshe had claimed in her statement that a mystery snake sneaked into the accounts office and swallowed the cash.
Also, Labaran Tanko, another JAMB worker in Nasarawa State, was reported on Wednesday to be undergoing investigation over a suspected fraud involving N26m.
Tanko had claimed that the N26m, which was the worth of unsold Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination scratch cards, got burnt in his car during an accident while he was on his way to remit the cards at the JAMB office in Abuja.
Both Chieshe and Tanko are still under investigation.
(The Punch)
