Philomena Chiesche, JAMB

Do you remember the woman who claimed a snake swallowed N35 million belonging to the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB)? She had her day in court today, Friday, May 30, 2019.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the controversial JAMB official, Philomena Chiesche, alongside five of her colleagues, Samuel Umoru, Yakubu Jekada, Daniel Agbo, Priscilla Ogunsola, and Aliyu Yakubu.

Chiesche, a JAMB official in Benue State, became very popular when she made an outlandish claim that a mysterious snake swallowed about N35 million cash arising from the sale of e-JAMB cards in the state.

At the moment EFCC is prosecuting the controversial JAMB official on an eight-count charge, following her refusal to provide the management of JAMB the true information on the financial status of JAMB e-cards supplied to the Benue Zonal office between 2014 and 2016.

According to an EFCC investigator, who probed her and seven other heads of JAMB offices nationwide, where widespread stealing took place, noted that instead of Philomena rendering account on the said N35 million, being the shortfall of unremitted e-JAMB cards in connivance with other officials, she claimed that a mysterious snake swallowed the money.

“Philomena ought to know that the shortfall in the unremitted e-JAMB cards, which she claimed disappeared as a result of manipulation from the kingdom of darkness, is false and untenable before the law.

“The shameful action of the suspect breaches Section 139 (a) of the Penal Code Law,” the officer said.

One of the charges in case No. CR/339/19 filed before the FCT High Court and dated May 17, 2019 reads:

“That you, Samuel Sale Umoru and Philomena Chieshe between August 2014 and July 2016 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court conspired among yourselves to misappropriate funds belonging to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria and you, therefore, committed an offence contrary to Section 97 (2) of the Penal Code Law”.

“That you, Samuel Sale Umoru and Philomena Chieshe between August 2014 and July 2016 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court while being state coordinator and clerical officer of the state office of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable by Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.

“That you, Samuel Sale Umoru and Philomena Chieshe between August 2014 and July 2016 in Abuja and Benue State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court while being state coordinator and clerical officer of the state office of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria and you, therefore, committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 309 of the same law.