House of Reps Orders Detention of Four Top WAEC Officials

The Nigerian House of Representatives has directed the police to detain four senior officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC). This decision follows a motion by Uchenna Okonkwo, a committee member, after the officials failed to provide satisfactory responses during a parliamentary inquiry.

The detained officials are Amos Dangut, Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria; Senior Deputy Registrar, Angus Okeleze; Acting Director of Finance, Victor Odu; and Deputy Director of Finance, Segun Jerumeh. Their detention stems from their perceived lack of accountability to the Nigerian government, as highlighted during their questioning by the House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies.

The WAEC officials argued that they were employed by an examination body not directly accountable to the government. However, the lawmakers countered that WAEC Nigeria was established by an Act of the National Assembly and must therefore be answerable to it.

Uchenna Okonkwo moved the motion for their detention, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into WAEC’s activities. This motion was seconded by Marie Ebikake, representing Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency, Bayelsa State. Despite protests from the WAEC officials, they were detained for about 15 minutes by the National Assembly’s Sergeant at Arms.

Following a brief closed-door session, the committee released the officials but mandated them to return with audited financial statements from 2018 to 2024 and relevant documents concerning a N5 billion loan obtained by WAEC in 2022 for purchasing customized calculators.

Committee Chairman Oforji Oboku reiterated that WAEC is subject to the oversight of the National Assembly. “You are not different from any other agency. We are not here for a witch-hunt. WAEC is subject to Nigeria’s laws. We have reviewed the position and we have all the powers to oversight you. You cannot come here and say WAEC is not an agency of government,” he asserted.

The officials are expected to appear before the committee again on a date to be communicated.