Former JAMB registrar Ojerinde pleads for freedom over alleged N5bn fraud

Former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Adedibu Ojerinde, is asking the Federal High Court Abuja to order his release from detention.

Ojerinde is facing trial for allegedly diverting public funds worth about five billion naira.

At the proceedings, his counsel, Eteya Ogana, drew the attention of the court to a motion challenging the manner in which the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) re-arrested Ojerinde even as he applied for his release from detention.

The councel alleged that the ICPC re-arrested his client without a valid warrant.

However, the trial Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, said he could not find Ojerinde’s fresh application in the court’s record.

Ogana, subsequently admitted that there was a mix-up in the filing of the charge sheet. He, therefore, prayed for an adjournment to enable him to correct the error.

On its part, the ICPC denied the allegation that Ojerinde was re-arrested without a warrant.

It urged the court to inspect a warrant he adduced to establish that the defendant’s re-arrest and detention had legal backing.

He argued that the fresh application by the defendant had been overtaken by events since he has already been charged before another court on a separate matter.

After he had listened to both sides, Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till June 20.

Ojerinde was re-arrested on January 26 2023, on the premises of the Federal High Court by operatives of the ICPC.

His arrest came after a former Deputy Director of Finance at JAMB Jimoh Olabisi, gave his testimony as the 4th prosecution witness.