Court detains woman who claimed snake swallowed JAMB’s N35m

A high court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Philomina Chieshe and five officials of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

They were remanded on Friday over their involvement in the missing N35 million from sales of JAMB e-card in Benue state.

Chieshe was arraigned alongside Samuel Umoru, Yakubu Jekada, Daniel Agbo, Priscilla Ogunsola, and Aliyu Yakubu.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC ) arraigned her and others on eight counts bordering on refusal to account for the board’s money between 2014 to 2016.

Peter Afen, the judge who presided over the case, ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of EFCC, pending the outcome of their bail application.

He then adjourned the case till June 3, 2019 for the hearing of their bail application.

The EFCC had said Chieshe, a sales clerk with JAMB, told their registrar and his team that she could not account for N36 million she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards.

They alleged that she claimed that the money was swallowed by a snake in Makurdi.

She alleged that it was her housemaid that connived with another JAMB staff, to “spiritually” (through a snake) steal the money from the vault in the accounts office.

The anti-graft agency said these contravened section 139 (a) of the penal code law.

They pleaded not guilty to the allegations.