Former JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde, and his four children face stalled trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has once again postponed the trial of Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, the former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and his four children on allegations of money laundering.

Judge Inyang Eden Ekwo postponed the trial on Wednesday in response to a request for a postponement made by Ahmed Raji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, who was recently consulted by a few of the defendants over the criminal charges.

Ebenezer Sogunle, the lead attorney for the Independent Corrupt Practises and Related Offences Commission (ICPC), informed the judge during the hearings on Wednesday that his witnesses had been in court and that the trial could begin.

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Raji SAN, however, informed the judge that he had only been hired to take up his clients’ case after announcing the attendance of four of the 10 defendants.

The senior attorney stated that he had recently received a large amount of documentation, which he needed time to review before making a decision.

In addition, Raji clarified that the ICPC has not yet provided him with the proof of evidence as required by law.

Raji begged Judge Ekwo for an adjournment so that he could act in the best interests of justice for his clients.

ICPC counsel verified that as the senior attorney was making a first-time appearance in the matter, the proof of evidence had not been served.

In order to give the defence time to get ready for the trial, he did not object to the request for an adjournment.

Judge Ekwo, however, voiced his displeasure with the trial’s lengthy adjournment chain and issued a warning if any of the lawyers involved made another adjournment request.

The judge then scheduled an accelerated trial for the criminal offences for February 19, 20, 21, and 22.

Recall that a similar outcome occurred during the trial on Monday when Ibrahim Isiyaku, SAN, asked Justice Ekwo to postpone the proceedings so he could properly prepare for the next round of defendants.

The former JAMB registrar was charged with official corruption and abuse of power by the ICPC on June 15.

Ojerinde was arraigned alongside four of his children, Mary Ojerinde, Olumide Ojerinde, Adebayo Ojerinde, and Oluwaseun Ojerinde, as the eighth through eleventh defendants, on a charge designated FHC//ABJ/CR/119/2023.

Six of his affiliated companies—Doyin Ogbohi Petroleum Limited, Cheng Marbles Limited, Sapati International Schools Limited, Trillium Learning Centre Limited, Standout Institutes Limited, and Esli Perfect Security Printers Limited—are also named as defendants in the 17-count charge. They are ranked second through seventh, respectively.

The court granted bail to the defendants after they entered a not guilty plea to the counts that were filed against them.

The ICPC filed 17 counts against the former head of JAMB, alleging that he plotted to dispose off property worth $150,000 that had been ordered by a court to be forfeited to the Federal Government, along with three of his children, Oluwaseun Ojerinde, Olumide Ojerinde, and Adebayo Ojerinde.

House No. 4 Ahomko Drive, Achimota Phase 2, Accra, Ghana is the address of the property.

In addition, Ojerinde was charged by the prosecution with incorporating businesses and accepting concurrent appointments as chairman and director while working as a public servant full-time as the chief executive and registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Abuja, and the National Examinations Council (NECO) in Minna.