EFCC arrests woman who accused snake of swallowing N36m in JAMB office

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested and grilled
a JAMB official based in Makurdi, Philomina Chieshe, who claimed that
a snake swallowed N36m.

The money was part of the proceeds of the sale of scratch cards.

Detectives at the commission told newsmen that Chieshe revealed that
the money was collected in instalments from her by her Coordinator,
Mr. Samuel Umoru.

In one of the statements she volunteered to the EFCC, Chieshe who is a
clerk in the Makurdi office of JAMB, was said to have revealed that
the coordinator usually asked her to withdraw proceeds of the sale of
the cards from her account in two banks.

In the statement she made to the EFCC under oath, Chieshe said, "This
money that I withdraw, the coordinator used it for the office and some
time for himself."

She claimed that she had been warning Umaru that it was wrong to use
the money for miscellaneous expenses in the office or for private
purposes but he would not listen.

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coordinator included the N340,000 withdrawn on May 5 and 26, 2014 with
an ATM card.

She also disclosed that she used her ATM card to withdraw N120,000 for
the coordinator between June 17 and 18, 2014.

Chieshe added, "He instructed me to withdraw the sum of N640,000 using
my card between June 30, 2014 and July 7, 2014."

It was learnt that Umaru had also been arrested and questioned about
claims by Chieshe.

An EFCC told Punch said, "The interesting aspect of the disclosure is
that Chieshe's statement was obtained long before the snake and naira
swallowing testimony became public knowledge.

"She was first quizzed on February 16, 2017 and made additional
statements on April 7, 2017 , May 30, 2017 and June 28, 2017.

"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."

The EFCC also quizzed another JAMB official, Tanko Labaran, the clerk
in Nasarawa State office of the board who could not account for
scratch cards worth N23m.