JAMB staffer jailed for stealing laptop

In a recent announcement from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), a contract worker named Emmanuel Odey has been sentenced to six months in jail by Magistrate Court 2 in Kado – Life Camp, Abuja. The verdict came after Odey was found guilty of stealing an HP laptop owned by JAMB. The incident occurred on July 13th, 2023, at the Board’s FCT Zonal Office in Abuja. The theft was in violation of Section 287-289 of the Penal Code and was punishable under the same section.

According to the JAMB weekly bulletin published on Monday and approved by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, Odey, a cleaner employed at the Board’s FCT Zonal Office, tearfully confessed in court to stealing the HP laptop worth N350,000. He explained that he resorted to this act in order to pay his overdue house rent. Despite attributing his actions to the influence of the devil, Odey begged for leniency and a second chance.

The Senior Magistrate, Mr. Egbe Joshua, presiding over the case, acknowledged Odey’s remorse and recognized youthful exuberance as a contributing factor. After thorough cross-examination, he invoked Section 112(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, to try and convict the defendant. The verdict resulted in a six-month prison sentence, along with the option of a five-thousand-naira fine.

In the pursuit of unraveling the laptop’s disappearance, JAMB had previously established an investigating team led by Superintendent of Police, Joy Abuma. Abuma’s diligent investigation ultimately led to the arrest of Emmanuel Odey, who later confessed to hiding the stolen laptop at his sister’s residence.

Edited by Damilola Adeleke