WAEC Head Amos Dangut, Others Officials Arrested Amid Budget Probe
Four officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have been apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force on the orders of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies. The House of Representatives Committee initiated the investigation after the WAEC officials failed to provide satisfactory responses to inquiries posed by the panel.
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Four officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have been apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force on the orders of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies. The arrests come in the wake of an ongoing investigation into WAEC’s budget and financial matters.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday, when the arrested officials were identified as follows: Amos Dangut, Head of National Office for WAEC Nigeria (representing the Registrar); Senior Deputy Registrar Angus Okeleze; acting Director of Finance Victor Odu; and Deputy Director of Finance Segun Jerumeh.
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The House of Representatives Committee initiated the investigation after the WAEC officials failed to provide satisfactory responses to inquiries posed by the panel. During the subsequent investigative hearing, tensions escalated as Dangut asserted that WAEC was not an agency of the government and therefore not accountable to the parliament.
However, lawmakers countered this claim, emphasizing that WAEC Nigeria was established by an Act of the National Assembly and, as such, must be answerable to the representatives of the people.
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Committee member Uchenna Okonkwo moved a motion for the officials’ custody pending the investigation. “While we delve into the activities of WAEC Nigeria,” Okonkwo stated, “the guests before us should be taken into custody and held at the police post while we seek solutions to the issues they are bringing upon Nigerians.”
Despite protests from the WAEC officials, they were led away by the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly and detained for approximately 15 minutes. Following a brief closed-door session, the committee ordered their release but mandated them to prepare for another appearance.
Committee chairman Oforji Oboku instructed the officials to bring audited statements of accounts for the examination body from 2018 to 2024 on a date to be communicated. Additionally, they must present relevant documents related to the N5 billion loan that WAEC secured in 2022 for the purchase of customized calculators, among other matters.
