Court grants bail to Philomina Chieshe, the woman who claimed snake “stole” JAMB’s N35 million

A FCT High Court on Monday conceded Philomina Chieshe, accused of affirmed “missing” N35 million having a place with the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to safeguard in the aggregate of N20 million.

Chieshe, an administrative officer with JAMB, was summoned last Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) close by Samuel Sale Umoru, a state organizer with JAMB. Governing in the safeguard application, the judge, Peter Affen pronounced that safeguard was not tied in with setting individuals free but rather to guarantee that a respondent goes to preliminary.

He included that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 holds that safeguard is allowed in the most liberal terms. Affen additionally requested the litigant to create two sureties in like the whole. He requested that the sureties more likely than not landed property in Abuja worth the estimation of the safeguard entirety.

Affen further arranged the litigant’s insight, Mark Feese, to explicitly state the great characters of the sureties. He further held that the court enlistment centre would then confirm the addresses of the sureties, while the litigant must drop her worldwide international ID with the court. Affen likewise requested that pending when the litigant meets the safeguard conditions, she would be remanded at Suleja Prison.

Earlier, Feese prayed the court to admit his client to bail, arguing that contrary to the submissions of the prosecution, she was granted administrative bail by EFCC and did not jump bail. Opposing the bail, EFCC counsel, Ekene Iheanacho, prayed the court to refuse the application, saying that she had jumped bail.

In the case of Samuel Umoru, Mr Affen adjourned the further hearing of his bail application until June 11.  In a related development, the court granted bail to another JAMB official, Yakubu Jekada, bail in the sum of N10million with one surety in like sum. Jekada was separately arraigned on a four-charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and dishonesty use of JAMB funds to the tune of N11.189million.

Jekada was among the six persons accused of committing criminal breach of trust and misappropriation. Affen granted him bail following the argument made on his behalf by his counsel, Gyang Zi. The judge ordered that the surety would have to be recommended to the court in writing by Mr Zi. He further ordered that the surety would swear to an affidavit of means and possesses landed property equivalent to the bail sum in Abuja.

Jekada was ordered to drop his international passport with the court, while he was remanded in Kuje prison pending the fulfilment of the bail condition.  Mr Affen adjourned till September 16 for the commencement of trial.