How JAMB coordinator 'swallowed' N36 Million

Facts have emerged on how N36 million got missing from the Benue office of the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB).

Philomina Chieshe, the accountant, had claimed that a mysterious snake swallowed the money.

But the information provided in her fact sheet to operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) states otherwise.

A copy of the document seen by TheNation revealed that Chieshe had named her coordinator with regards to the missing N36 million.

The fact-sheet reads in part: "Philomina Chieshe, the lady in the eye of the Naira eating snake storm in JAMB, has been singing before the EFCC. And, contrary to her claim before the leadership of the examination body that the N36 million proceed from sale of scratch cards were eaten up by a snake, Chieshe told operatives of the anti- graft agency that the money was collected piecemeal from her by her coordinator, Mr. Samuel Sale Umoru.

“In one of the statements she volunteered to the EFCC, Chieshe, who is a clerk in the Makurdi office of JAMB, revealed that the Coordinator usually asked her to withdraw proceeds of the sale of the Scratch Cards from her account in two new generation banks.

“This money I withdrew, the coordinator used it for the office and some time for himself.

“She claimed that she had been warning Umoru that it was improper to use the money for miscellaneous expenses in the office or for private purposes but he would not listen.

“She also claimed that Umoru was in the habit of drawing IOU from the proceeds of the sale of the cards without reimbursing her.

“Some of the withdrawals which she claimed were at the behest of the coordinator included the N340,000 withdrawn on May 5 and 26, 2014 with ATM card. She also disclosed that she used her ATM card to withdraw N120,000 for the coordinator between June 17 and 18, 2014.”

Chieshe said her coordinator also instructed her to withdraw N640,000, using her card between June 30, 2014.

A source who works with the anti-graft agency confirmed that investigators had verified the withdrawals and had arrested Umoru about claims by Chieshe.

Chieshe's earlier confession had sparked reactions from Nigerians.

Senator Shehu Sani also took anti-snake venom and charmers to the JAMB headquarters when the news broke.