JAMB Suspends Staff Over N36m ‘Swallowed By Snake’

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has suspended its employee, Philomena Chieshe, over claims the sum of N36 million was swallowed by a snake in it’s office in Makurdi, Benue State.

This was according to Fabian Benjamin, the Board’s Head of Information, who confirmed the development to the Punch on Sunday.

Benjamin further confirmed that security agencies were investigating the matter.

“She has been suspended and she is going through all other disciplinary procedures while investigation is ongoing on the matter. Her claim was that a snake came into the office and swallowed the N36m proceeds,” he said.

Recall that in a statement last week, Philomena claimed that one of her colleagues, Joan Asen and her accomplices confessed to have stolen about N36m “spiritually” through a mysterious snake that always sneak into the office to swallow the money from the vault.

The money was said to be from the purchases of scratch cards from JAMB state offices and other designated centres.

A team of auditors was dispatched to different state offices of JAMB to take inventory of the sold and unsold scratch cards and recover whatever money that might have either been generated or mismanaged during the period of the sale of scratch cards.

The woman reportedly told the team that she could not account for N36m made in the previous years before the abolition of scratch cards.

Before now, JAMB candidates purchased scratch cards from JAMB state offices and other designated centers, to gain access to the Board’s website for either registration or to check their admission status but the reforms introduced by JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, recommended an end to the use of scratch cards.