Nigerians react as snake is blamed for $100,000 missing state funds

Nigerian social media space is buzzing after a local portal reported in Saturday that a government official had blamed a mysterious snake for missing funds of 36 million naira cash (over $100,000).

The funds belong to Nigeria’s Joints Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), a state agency responsible for the registration of admission of people seeking to enter the various universities.

The particular incident took place at the JAMB offices in Makurdi, capital of Benue State where an account’s clerk in answering audit queries said her housemaid and a fellow employee had confessed to using a snake to ‘spiritually’ stealing the monies she kept in an office vault.

Auditors from Abuja had been sent to take inventory of funds accrued over the sale of scratch cards to students hoping to gain access to JAMB’s website to register or check on the status of their admissions. The audit came up after reforms by the current registrar struck out use of the cards.

Nigerians on social media are looking at different sides of the strange issue. There are those looking at the political, the social, the corrupt, the miraculous and even the fun aspect of the incident. A Twitter user @NigerianSnake says in his bio: “I am the snake that ate N36 million from Jamb office. I will not vomit it.”

Below are a series of tweets reacting to the incident.

JAMB QUESTION- 100MARKS. Calculate how long it will take a snake to swallow 36,000,000 Naira. If the Bank notes are either in 100, 200 or 500 denomination and tabulate the chances of the snakes survival using the APC formula.

— LordKabba (@LordKabba) February 10, 2018

I am the snake that ate the money from Jamb office ????

— The Nigerian Snake (@NigeriaSnake) February 10, 2018

reporter : How did you manage to mysteriously swallow the 36 million from JAMB OFFICE ?

snake ? : Mtchweee !!! pic.twitter.com/OZhcfCiN60

— noris eli (@iam_NORIS) February 10, 2018

Utter nonsense. Better produce the missing funds or be swallowed by officialEFCC eagle snake ? Buch of lying thieves. https://t.co/2CC0LZq85a

— Gloria Adagbon (gloria_adagbon) February 10, 2018

Strange country:
November 2008: satellite we built for 40 billion disappears

September 2004: Ship laden with 30,000 barrels of oil disappears

August 2017: Rats chase the President out of office

February 2018: Snake swallows 36 million from JAMB

I need a beer

— Imoh Umoren (@ImohUmoren) February 10, 2018

Here is a CCTV footage of the moment a strange snake crawled into jamb office and swallow N36 million, we hope this footage will help apprehend the reptile. pic.twitter.com/6FLgUleIIc

— OBI IS A MAN (@Naija_blood_) February 11, 2018

What kind of Snake entered JAMB’s office and didn’t bite the gateman or the clerk but went ahead to swallow N36 million?

— Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) February 10, 2018

Breaking

Efcc arrests snake accused of swallowing 36m naira from the vaults of Jamb.

Details later, as snake insists it is within his rights to swallow anything pic.twitter.com/RmsbqGuzpl

— Cinderella Man (@Osi_Suave) February 10, 2018

In Nigeria, a snake swallowed N36M at a JAMB office. Now the snake is on twitter talking of how he upgraded with the money. I don’t just know what I’m still waiting for here, somebody help with visa I have passport pic.twitter.com/h9ndhYg9Hg

— LION? (@irumole__) February 11, 2018

The snake that swallow N36 million in jamb office must have been the same one that deceived Eve in the garden of Eden.

Nigeria, smh!

— MILLION ✌ (@KINGMILLION_) February 10, 2018

When JAMB officials lie that a strange snake ? swallowed N36m in their office

Snake ? : pic.twitter.com/hTWwF1GicS

— JAJ ????✌ (@Jajdgenius) February 10, 2018

The “strange snake” probably wanted to go and tamper with his jamb score and realized Education isn’t the key and swallowed the money instead pic.twitter.com/THEcSw7×2I

— Eghe (@Levi4dCulture) February 10, 2018

Recall that this same JAMB remitted only about N51 million to Govt Accounts between 2010 and 2016. In 2017, under new management appointed in 2016, it remitted N7.8 Billion. Now that new management is carrying out audits at State offices, and stories that touch are emerging. https://t.co/nnEBFlKr2r

— tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) February 10, 2018