A former head of federal examination board has dismissed the widely circulated claim that a snake swallowed millions of naira in missing funds, calling the story a fabrication.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who served as registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said the controversial incident never took place and that no snake was ever found because none existed.
The claim surfaced in 2018 after a sales clerk at the board’s Makurdi office in Benue State reported that a snake had swallowed ₦36 million from the sale of scratch cards during an internal audit. The explanation triggered nationwide ridicule and became a byword for implausible excuses over missing public money.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE News, Oloyede stressed that the episode occurred before he assumed office and that his role was limited to addressing the fallout.
“The snake matter did not occur when I was there. It was just that I had the fortune or misfortune that I had to address it. The matter had occurred before I assumed office,” he said.
He recalled ordering that the official’s account be recorded because the story was so improbable.
“I insisted that we must record it because it was unbelievable. When the matter became a national issue, the tape was there. Even myself, I would have disbelieved myself if we did not have the recording of the narration of what happened,” Oloyede stated.
He maintained that the tale was invented and later taken literally by the public.
“There was no snake… Some people will say snakes were swallowing naira in JAMB, but they know that was just a creation of a mind. Many people took it literally and believed snakes swallowed money. The reality was that that never happened,” he added.
Oloyede also noted that high-profile examination fraud cases, including the widely reported Mesoma incident, were not isolated and that the board had handled many similar matters over the years.
