JAMB Clerk recants. Says it wasn't a snake that swallowed the N36m

Philomina Chieshe, the clerk at the Makurdi office of Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) who said a snake swallowed the ₦36 million in her care, has withdrawn her statement, The Nation reports.

While being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chieshe reportedly said the money had been given to her superior.

Samuel Sale Umoru, the coordinator of the Makurdi office, was who she said asked that she withdrew the money.

The money was withdrawn in several instalments, she told the EFCC.

In a transcript detailing her questioning, as seen by the EFCC, it was said that the money was withdrawn from her accounts in 2 banks. The transcript read:

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Some of the withdrawals which she claimed were at the behest of the coordinator included the N340,000 withdrawn on May 5 and 26, 2014 with ATM card.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.

The investigating team had verified the withdrawals after a careful analysis of the statements of account of the suspect. Mr. Umoru had also been arrested and questioned about claims by Chieshe.

Umoru did not deny the allegations. He was however released on administrative bail but had been reporting monthly to the anti- graft agency.

The interesting aspect of the disclosure is that Chieshe’s statement was obtained long before the snake and Naira swallowing testimony became public knowledge.  In all her statements before the EFCC, there was no mention of any episode of any snake and the disappearance of monies in her care.