Professor Oloyede N36m Allegedly Swallowed By Snake, At JAMB, Says It’s Baseless Fabrication

By Ayodele Oni

Eight years after, former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has spoken on the long-standing “snake swallowed money” narrative, in the board describing it as a baseless fabrication that gained widespread attention through misinformation and public speculation.

According to Oloyede, the incident never happened, contrary to popular belief. He maintained that the story was entirely false, but evolved into a national sensation as it was repeatedly shared and accepted as fact.

He made the clarification while speaking during an interview on ARISE News.

Oloyede pointed out that the controversial “snake swallowed the money” saga, which became one of Nigeria’s most infamous public sector scandals, occurred before he assumed office as JAMB registrar.

He explained that his only involvement was overseeing the aftermath of the incident after taking over the leadership of the examination body.

The controversy erupted in 2018 when a sales clerk at JAMB’s Makurdi office in Benue State claimed that a mysterious snake had swallowed N36 million generated from the sale of scratch cards.

The explanation, reportedly given during an internal audit into missing funds, triggered widespread outrage, disbelief, and ridicule across the country.

The phrase “snake swallowed the money” has since become a popular expression in Nigeria, often used to mock implausible explanations for missing public funds.

According to him, the allegation was so unbelievable that he insisted the official’s account be recorded to preserve evidence.

“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

Oloyede explained that the recording later proved useful when the incident became a national controversy.

“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.”

He maintained that no snake was ever found because none existed.

“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.”

The former JAMB Registrar also stated that the widely publicised Mesoma examination fraud case was far from an isolated incident, revealing that the board has handled numerous similar cases over the years.

He explained that while the Mesoma case attracted significant public attention, it reflected a recurring pattern of examination malpractice that JAMB has consistently confronted.