One of Nigeria's most bizarre public-sector controversies emerged in 2018 when a clerk at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Philomena Chieshe, was linked to claims that a snake had swallowed ₦36 million belonging to the examination body.
The incident occurred during an audit of JAMB's Makurdi office in Benue State, where investigators discovered discrepancies in funds generated from the sale of examination scratch cards. Reports at the time indicated that Chieshe attributed the missing money to a mysterious snake, a claim that quickly went viral and sparked widespread reactions across the country.
However, there is no evidence that a snake actually swallowed the funds. JAMB publicly rejected the explanation, suspended the staff member involved, and referred the matter to security agencies for further investigation.
Subsequent reports revealed that during questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chieshe allegedly revised her account, stating that the money had been withdrawn and handed over to a superior officer in installments. The development further cast doubt on the initial explanation and shifted attention to possible financial misconduct.
The "snake swallowed ₦36 million" story has since become one of Nigeria's most referenced examples of controversial explanations offered in public-sector corruption cases. While the claim was indeed made and widely reported, investigations never established that a snake was responsible for the disappearance of the funds.
In summary, the claim was real, but the story of a snake swallowing ₦36 million remains unproven and is generally regarded as part of a broader fraud investigation rather than a verified event.
