Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has debunked the long-standing “snake swallowed money” narrative, insisting the incident never occurred and was nothing more than a fabricated story that spiraled into a national sensation.
According to him, the widely circulated claim was completely false and became entrenched through misinformation and public speculation.
Truth Live News Media reports that he debunked the claim while speaking during an interview on ARISE News.
Oloyede clarified 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 stated.
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,” he said.
The former JAMB registrar also noted that the widely publicised Mesoma examination fraud case was not an isolated incident, saying the board had dealt with numerous similar cases over the years.
