N5.2bn fraud: Ex-JAMB registrar Ojerinde seeks out-of-court settlement

N5.2bn fraud: Ex-JAMB registrar Ojerinde seeks out-of-court settlement

Dibu Ojerinde, former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has expressed interest in settling his ongoing N5.2 billion fraud case outside the courtroom.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting Ojerinde on an 18-count charge relating to the embezzlement.

During a court session on Wednesday, July 16, Ojerinde’s lawyer, Eteya Ogana, informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that discussions were underway to resolve the matter administratively.

Earlier, presiding judge Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that the ICPC had presented sufficient evidence during the trial to warrant a defence from Ojerinde, effectively dismissing a no-case submission filed by the defence.

“We shall be asking for a long date after vacation to enable us to report same,” Ogana said.

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Lesie Iheduru, counsel to the ICPC, confirmed ongoing discussions with Dibu Ojerinde’s legal team regarding a possible out-of-court settlement and raised no objection to the move.

Following this development, the presiding judge adjourned the case to October 20, allowing time for both parties to pursue reconciliation.

If the talks fail, the court will proceed with Ojerinde’s defence.

This is not the first time a settlement has been attempted.

In 2022, a plea bargain arrangement between Ojerinde and the ICPC collapsed.

The ICPC is accusing the former registrar of the JAMB of orchestrating multiple fraudulent acts while serving as head of both JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).

He was arraigned in July 2021 on an 18-count charge, including allegations of abuse of office and the diversion of N5.2 billion in public funds, charges to which he has pleaded not guilty.

N5.2bn fraud: Ex-JAMB registrar Ojerinde seeks out-of-court settlement