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EFCC Arraigns Woman, Two others who Claim Snake Swallowed JAMB’s N35m
BY: Oliseama Okwuchukwu
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC today, Friday, May 31, 2019, arraigned Philomina Chieshe, the controversial official of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, who claimed that the N35, 480, 000 (Thirty Five Million Four Hundred and Eighty Naira) being JAMB proceeds in her custody was swallowed by a snake in Makurdi, Benue State JAMB office.
She was arraigned before Justice Peter Affen of the FCT High Court, Maitama. Two other officials of JAMB also arraigned alongside Chieshe were Samuel Sale Umoru and Yakubu Jekada.
The trio were arrested by the Commission in 2016, following an audit report indicting them over the alleged graft and were arraigned on charges bordering on fraud, misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust while holding sway as Jamb officials in Benue and Plateau States, respectively.
Two of the suspects were arraigned on eight counts 1 to 7 charges but Philomina Chieshe was arraigned on the count eight alone.
One of the counts reads: “That you Samuel Sale Umoru and Philomina Chieshe between August, 2014 and July, 2016 in Abuja and Benue state within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while respectively being the State coordinator and clerical officer of the Joint and Admissions Matriculations Board Zonal office, Makurdi and in such capacity entrusted with the dominion over certain properties to wit, N35,480,000.00 (Thirty Five Million, Four Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) being proceeds realized from the sales of e-facility cards belonging to JAMB committed criminal breach of trust by dishonestly using said funds and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.”
While the last count charge preferred on Philomina Chieshe reads: “That you, Philomina Chieshe sometime in June 2016, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court being legally bound to furnish to the management of Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) information on the financial status of the Jamb e-cards supplied to the Benue Zonal Office of JAMB between 2014 and 2016 stated that the sum of N36,510,500 being the value of the shortfall of unremitted e-JAMB cards disappeared as a result of manipulations from the kingdom of darkness which claim you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 139 (a) of the Penal Code Law.”
The defendants pleaded “Not Guilty” to the charges.
In view of the “non-guilty” plea, the Prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, urged the court to pick a trial date while asking that the defendants be remanded in prison custody pending the commencement of trial.
However, the counsels to both first and second defendants, A. Ihejerika and O. Mark, pleaded with the court to consider their bail applications which were filed respectively on Thursday, May 30 2019. The prosecution counsel, however, raised objection, stating that he was only served with the applications this morning and that it is right for him to go through them and respond accordingly.
He then asked the court for a short adjournment so that he can properly file a response to the applications.
Justice Affen, in his ruling, said that the prisons are fully congested with many awaiting trials and that there is no point sending more people there adding that the defendants be remanded in the EFCC’s custody and adjourned hearing to Monday, June 3, 2019, for consideration of the bail applications.
In another development, the Justice Affen also ordered that Yakubu Jekada, a former Plateau state coordinator of JAMB zonal office, also be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the hearing for his bail application fixed for Monday, June 3, 2019.
Jekada was arraigned by the EFCC on a 4-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and diversion of monies belonging to JAMB to his personal use.
Count 3 of the charge reads thus, “That you, Yakubu Jekada between 2009 and 2016 in Abuja and Plateau state within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while being the State coordinator of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) Zonal office, and in such capacity entrusted with the dominion over certain properties to wit, N11,189,000.00 (Eleven Million, One Hundred and Eighty Nine Thousand Naira) being proceeds realized from the sales of e-facility cards belonging to JAMB committed criminal breach of trust by dishonestly using said funds and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.”
Jekada however pleaded “not guilty” and in this vein, the Prosecution counsel, Iheanacho prayed the court to pick a trial date and remand the defendant in prison custody pending the consideration of his bail application.
Counsel to the defendant, Emmanuel Sadiq, notified the court of the pending bail application which was filed on Thursday and asked that his client be released on bail.
Opposing the motion, Iheanacho told the court that he was just served the application after the charges have been read to the defendant. Thus, he will need to read through properly and file his response to the application.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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