The federal high court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed the no-case submission filed by Dibu Ojerinde, the former registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Ojerinde is standing trial on an 18-count charge over an alleged N5.2 billion fraud.
Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, while ruling on the no-case submission filed by the defendant, held that witnesses presented by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have been able to establish elements of the offence against Ojerinde that require him to enter a defence.
“The no-case submission fails and is dismissed,” the judge ruled.
Egwuatu ordered Ojerinde to enter his defence and adjourned the matter to July 16.
The ICPC is alleging that Ojerinde committed multiple frauds while heading the National Examinations Council (NECO) and JAMB.
He was arraigned in July 2021 over allegations bordering on abuse of office and fraudulent diversion of funds from government coffers to the tune of N5.2 billion.
However, the former JAMB registrar pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
In the proof of evidence tendered before the court by Ebenezer Shogunle, prosecution counsel, the anti-corruption agency also accused Ojerinde of conferring corrupt advantage upon himself at different times while he was the registrar and chief executive of JAMB and NECO, respectively.
The allegations violate sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and section 1 (1) (1) (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006.
In February 2022, a plea bargain entered into by Ojerinde, through his counsel, Ibrahim Ishyaku, failed, and the trial continued.
The ICPC has closed its case after calling several witnesses to substantiate the allegations.
But Ojerinde decided to file a no-case submission, which the court dismissed.
