Police arrest four WAEC officials for challenging a House of Representatives investigation, raising concerns about the examination body’s integrity and compliance with legislative oversight.”
The Nigeria Police Force apprehended four West African Examination Council (WAEC) officials on Tuesday, pursuant to directives from the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies.
Amos Dangut, the Head of National Office for WAEC Nigeria and representative of the Registrar; Angus Okeleze, Senior Deputy Registrar; Victor Odu, Acting Director of Finance; and Segun Jerumeh, Deputy Director of Finance were among those who have been detained by officials.
Committee member Uchenna Okonkwo initiated the arrests following unsatisfactory responses from officials during an investigative hearing.
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The session was contentious, with Dangut arguing that WAEC couldn’t be accountable to parliament as it wasn’t a government agency.
Lawmakers, on the other hand, argued that WAEC Nigeria is accountable to parliament since it was created by a legislative Act of the National Assembly.
Marie Ebikake, who represents the Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, seconded Okonkwo’s proposal to detain the WAEC officials while further investigating their activities. The WAEC officials objected strongly but were eventually held by the Sergeant at Arms for approximately 15 minutes in defiance of those objections.
After a short private meeting, the committee directed that they be set free and advised them to gear up for their next hearing.
The officials were tasked by Oforji Oboku, the head of the committee, with producing audited financial statements spanning from 2018 through 2024 as well as documentation related to WAEC’s acquisition of a N5 billion loan in 2022 earmarked for procuring individualized calculators.
Oboku highlighted that WAEC must follow Nigerian laws and abide by parliamentary supervision. He clarified, “You have the same responsibilities as any other organization. Our intention is not to accuse or investigate unnecessarily.
Remember, WAEC operates within Nigeria’s legal framework; we possess the authority to oversee your actions.” Oboku dismissed claims of WAEC being an independent body outside government control saying: “Do not profess ignorance about being a governmental agency because you are subject to our direct controllability.”
