JAMB Director Docked Over Alleged Threat, Blackmail

Yisa Usman, a deputy director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has been dragged to court.

He was arraigned on Tuesday on allegations bordering on threatening Mrs Raheemat Oloyede on the phone with the intent to blackmail her husband, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the board’s registrar.

Usman was arraigned by the police on behalf of the Federal Government on a five-count charge before Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He was alleged to have committed the offence with Abdulfatai Usman, now at large, between February 14 and 15, 2022.

Using the phone number +447529723948, they were alleged to have intentionally communicated through a network computer system with Mrs Oloyede. The communication was deemed “grossly offensive, indecent, or criminal intimidation to cause inconvenience or needless anxiety” to her.

The offence was deemed contrary to sections 24(1)(a) and 1(b) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.

NAN reports that Usman is the sole defendant in the charge marked “FHC/ABJ/CR/139/2023,” dated March 29, but filed on March 30.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts after the charge was read to him, and the police prosecutor, Eristo Asaph, subsequently made an application for a trial date.

Moses Balogun, who appeared for Usman, informed the court that a bail application, dated and filed on June 7, had already been served on the prosecution on the same day.

He told the court that the defendant, who had been admitted to administrative bail during the investigation of the matter, had complied with the terms of the bail.

He then requested the court grant him bail on liberal terms or self-recognition pending the hearing and determination of the case.

The prosecution did not oppose the application.

Justice Maha, in a ruling, admitted Usman to bail in the sum of N2 million with a surety who must be a civil servant on Level 14 and the owner of a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

She ruled that the defendant and the surety must submit their travel documents and a passport photograph each to the court registrar.

In the alternative, the judge held that the surety could also be a responsible citizen who had paid his tax for two years and must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. The surety is required to submit his or her international passport and a passport photograph to the court registrar, as well as an affidavit of means.

The judge further ordered Usman remanded at a correctional centre pending the perfection of his bail and adjourned the matter until Oct. 26 for trial.

Balogun, who prayed to the court to order the release of his client pending the perfection of his bail within five days, pledged to write an undertaking to that effect.

The judge granted the plea and ordered the undertaking completed before the close of work.