The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, granted bail to a former Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the former JAMB Registrar bail after the court resumed sitting to rule on the bail application after the case was stood down a second time.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in like sum.
According to the bail terms, one surety must be a professor in a federal university and the other must be a property owner in Abuja. The court also stated that their residences must be verified.
The court also ordered that Ojerinde must deposit his passport with the Court Registrar.
Defense Counsel, Peter Olorunnishola (SAN), had earlier prayed the court to grant his client bail.
But Prosecuting counsel, Ebenezer Shogunle, opposed the bail application. He argued that while Ojerinde was in their custody, they granted him administrative bail, but he breached it.
Shogunle pointed the court to paragraph 5 (e, f, g) of his counter-affidavit.
He also asserted that other investigations were still ongoing and the witnesses in the investigations were subject to the influence of Ojerinde.
Shogunle also said that the claim of ill-health which Ojerinde was relying on as a ground for the bail application was not supported by a medical report.
But Olorunishola pointed out that they have filed their reply to the prosecution’s counter-affidavit, adding that the prosecution had concluded their investigation which was why they had charged Ojerinde to court.
The matter was adjourned till July 22 and 23 for trial.
Recall that Justice Egwuatu had on Tuesday ordered that the former JAMB boss, Ojerinde, be remanded in prison pending the hearing of his bail application.
the judge gave the order after the former JAMB boss was arraigned on an 18-count bordering on alleged fraud and diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.2 billion.
Ojerinde was alleged to have committed the offence during his time as the Registrar of National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.
While taking his plea, Ojerinde pleaded not guilty.
