Court adjourns ex-JAMB registrar Ojerinde, children’s trial while settlement talks stall second case
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, rescheduled the trial of a former Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dibu Ojerinde, on charges of official corruption and abuse of office to 30 April. The matter was adjourned due to the absence of trial judge Mohammed Umar, who was said to be on an official assignment elsewhere. Mr Ojerinde is facing prosecution alongside four of his four children – Mary Ojerinde, Olumide Ojerinde, Adebayo Ojerinde and Oluwaseun Ojerinde – among other defendants. Other defendants are six companies linked to him, namely: Doyin Ogbohi Petroleum Limited, Cheng Marbles Limited, Sapati International Schools Limited, Trillium Learning Centre Limited, Standout Institutes Limited and Esli Perfect Security Printers Limited. The case, marked FHC//ABJ/CR/119/2023, is one of the two criminal indictments filed against the ex-JAMB boss by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Commission (ICPC). In the 17 charges, the ICPC alleged that the former JAMB boss conspired with three of his children (Oluwaseun Ojerinde, Olumide Ojerinde, and Adebayo Ojerinde) to sell off property worth $150,000 after it had been forfeited to the federal government by a court order. The property is located at House No. 4 Ahomko Drive, Achimota Phase 2, Accra, Ghana. The prosecution also accused Mr Ojerinde of incorporating companies and taking up simultaneous appointments as Chairman and Director, while being a public officer on full-time appointment as Registrar/Chief Executive of National Examinations Council (NECO), Minna and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Bwari, Abuja. ICPC said this was despite the fact that Mr Ojerinde knew “very well that the Code of Conduct for Public Officers forbids public officers from engaging in private business other than farming or participating in shareholding of joint stock companies”. Second trial stalled by settlement talks Mr Ojerinde is facing a separate trial on 18 counts involving alleged diversion of funds during his time as the registrar of National Examinations Council (NECO) till his time as JAMB’s chief executive. In the 18 counts, ICPC accused him of diverting N5.2 billion in public funds, abuse of office, and conferring corrupt advantages on himself while heading both examination bodies. The case, which is before another judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Obiora Egwuatu, has suffered setbacks, with progress stalled, after the prosecution and the defence informedthe court at the 16 July 2025 proceedings of their resumed settlement talks. The disclosure came just weeks after the trial judge ordered Mr Ojerinde to open his defence and two and a half years after the first settlement talks failed. Defence lawyer Eteya Ogana told the trial judge at the said proceedings that the defence was meant to open its case, but for the need to give the settlement talks a chance. Lesie Iheduru, who appeared for the prosecution, confirmed the development and did not oppose the request for adjournment. The earlier settlement moves broke down in February 2022, paving the way for the ICPC to call its first prosecution witness after some wait to see the negotiation through. After ICPC finished presenting its case, calling all its prosecution witnesses and tendering documentary evidence, Mr Ojerinde filed a no-case submission to ask the court to dismiss the charges on the grounds that the commission failed to prove any case against him. The judge dismissed the no-case submission in June 2025, ruling that he had a case to answer, and ordering him to open his defence on 16 July 2025. But on the set date, instead of Mr Ojerinde opening his defence, the prosecution and defence teams informed the court that they had resumed their settlement talks. READ ALSO: ECOWAS Court to partner Nigeria in tackling judgment-related challenges But since then, the case has stalled. Recently on 28 January, when the hearing was scheduled to resume, the legal teams for the defence and prosecution were absent. Mr Ojerinde too was absent. This forced the judge to reschedule the hearing for 25 March. ICPC had in 2020 obtained a court order for the confiscation of various assets, including schools, filling stations, and houses traced to Mr Ojerinde. Share this: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to print (Opens in new window) Print