Yisa Usman, the sacked deputy director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has said he was determined to expose corruption in the board irrespective of the threat and intimidation against him.

Mr Usman had filed a N150 million suit against the board over alleged unlawful dismissal. Mr Usman, in the suit marked NICN/ABJ/266/2023 and filed by his lawyer, Oseini Bamigbaye, from the Chambers of Mohammed Shuaibu, sought nine reliefs.

While Mr Usman is the claimant, JAMB is the sole defendant in the case dated and filed on September 29, 2023.

The claimant asked the court to declare that the constitution of JAMB’s Directorate Staff Disciplinary Committee set up by the office was wholly irregular, illegal, null, and void for failure to comply with Article 3.5.4 of the Board’s Staff Manual and Conditions of Service.

Mr Usman told Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, while being cross-examined as sole witness in the suit instituted against JAMB over his alleged unlawful dismissal.

While responding to questions put to him by JAMB’s counsel A.A. Owonikoko, the witness admitted writing petitions to various government agencies over alleged corruption in JAMB.

The aggrieved former worker, who admitted receiving queries from the board and an invitation letter to appear before a disciplinary committee before his job was terminated, said he answered the queries and wrote a protest letter against the composition of the committee.

When Mr Owonikoko asked Mr Usman about the email message attached to the invitation letter, dated May 17, 2023, in response to the disciplinary committee’s invitation, the witness admitted to writing the reply.

He told the court that his reply to the query was submitted in hard copy to his immediate superior, and because he wanted all members of the management to be privy to what was going on, he also sent the message to the email addresses of the directors.

The ex-staff admitted writing several petitions against JAMB to the attorney general of the federation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the State Security Service and the National Assembly about the alleged financial infractions under the current JAMB registrar, Ishaq Oloyede.

He also admitted writing to the education minister, head of service, National Human Rights Commission, and Bureau of Public Procurement about alleged corruption, harassment, victimisation, and procurement infractions.

When the lawyer asked him that all his petitions were directed at indicting the JAMB registrar as corrupt, Usman responded in the affirmative. When asked if he knew the committee did not include the JAMB’s registrar, he said, “My Lord, I am not aware.”

When asked if he knew the registrar and finance director had recused themselves from the committee, Mr Usman said, “My Lord, I was never communicated to that effect. So, I was not aware.”

Mr Usman denied that the criminal charge preferred against him at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, resulted from the investigation conducted into his allegations against JAMB and after they were found unmeritorious.

“Confirm to this honourable court that when the present registrar assumed office, he did an audit of the finances, and it was in the course of this that the investigating authorities came up with some of these infractions,” said Mr Owonikoko

“My lord, that is not true,” he responded.

When the lawyer asked him to confirm the date the five-count charge was filed, Mr Usman said it was instituted on March 30, 2023.

When the lawyer then asked if there had never been any investigation into the activities of JAMB by investigating authorities since Mr Oloyede assumed office, Mr Usman said, “My lord, there had been investigations indeed, but the charge just read out was never part of that investigation.”

Earlier, Justice Obaseki-Osaghae admitted the list of the claimant’s documents and statements on oath in evidence as presented by his lawyer, Mohammed Shuaibu, and marked as Exhibits C1-C5, CE1-CE23 and C6-C15, respectively. The judge said the admissibility was subject to the right of the defendant to object to any of them.

The judge adjourned the matter until February 27 for the defendant to open its defence.

(NAN)