2 arraigned for impersonating JAMB registrar

Two individuals suspected of impersonating the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina, have appeared in a Federal High Court in Abuja. The defendants, Arinze Nwogba and Sunday Nweke, were re-arraigned on a seven-count amended charge, which includes impersonation, fraud, and cybercrime among other offenses.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) filed the initial arraignment on October 2, accusing Nwogba of impersonation and other criminal activities. Nwogba was subsequently remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre after pleading guilty and was granted a N50 million bail with two sureties on October 7.

Justice Salim Ibrahim initially adjourned the case to October 19 for the commencement of the trial. However, when the matter was brought up on Monday, the prosecution lawyer informed the court that the IGP had filed an amended charge following the arrest of Nweke, Nwogba's accomplice. Justice Ibrahim subsequently fixed the defendants' arraignment for Tuesday.

During the arraignment, police counsel Stanley Medugu requested the court to read the amended charge to Nwogba and Nweke so they could enter their plea. Defense counsel, Ifeanyi Nworie, informed the court that Nweke would require an Igbo interpreter due to his limited understanding of English. After providing an interpreter, the seven counts were read to the defendants, who subsequently pleaded not guilty.

Medugu sought a trial date to assess the defendants' case against the charges. Despite Nworie's objection, stating that the amended charge was nearly identical to the initial one filed against Nwogba, the lawyer requested that Nwogba continue to adhere to the earlier bail conditions. The prosecuting lawyer did not oppose this request, and Justice Ibrahim adjourned the case until November 25 for trial. Nwogba was ordered to maintain the original bail terms, while Nweke was remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre.