‘N5.2bn fraud: How Ojerinde floated 8 firms, acquired three houses — ICPC witness

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was on Wednesday told how a former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde allegedly floated eight companies, purchased three buildings and bank shares through his cronies while holding public office.

The companies, buildings, (two duplexes and a bungalow) and bank shares were said to have been acquired by Ojerinde when he held sway as Chief Executive of JAMB.

A witness of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Peter Oyewole made the revelations while testifying for the anti-graft agency in a N5.2 billion corruption charges against Ojerinde.

The witness who is a Legal Adviser to the ex-JAMB Registrar admitted that he incorporated the 8 companies and purchased the three houses for Ojerinde as his client on oral and written instructions.

The alleged companies are Oke-Afin Boys and Girls Hostel Limited, Sapati International School, Doyin Ogbohi Petroleum Limited, Cheng Marbles Limited, Standout Institute Limited, Trillion Learning Centre Limited, Grace Petroleum Limited and Ifelodun Communications Limited.

Certificates of Incorporation for the companies and title documents of the three buildings allegedly purchased for the defendant in Abuja were tendered and admitted as exhibits by the court.

Led in evidence by ICPC counsel, Ebenezer Sogunle, the witness, who claimed to have been called to the Nigerian Bar in 1999, told Justice Obiora Egwuatu that the companies were floated in the names supplied him by the defendant.

He testified that Ojerinde was registered as director in two of the companies while names of his cronies were used as directors in the rest adding that he never met any of the cronies at the time he was using their names at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

The cronies used to register the companies are Ojerinde Dayo, Ojerinde Olumide, Awodayo Habib, Adeyanju Gbenga, Ojerinde Olutoyin, Ojerinde Akanbi, Ojerinde Adedayo, Olayiwola Ayanwale and Ibrahim Danmusa, Ojerinde Dibu, Sanusi Alade Najeem among others.

He said that the receipts obtained in the course of transactions for the defendant were received and acknowledged in writing on behalf of the defendant by his son and a serving member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Olumide Ojerinde.

The witness, who claimed to be indigene of the same town, Igboho, with Ojerinde denied registering companies for the defendant to blackmail him adding that everything he did was on the instructions of the defendant.

(New Telegraph)