Representatives of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) were detained by the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The detained officials included Amos Dangut, the Head of National Office representing the Registrar; Angus Okeleze, Senior Deputy Registrar; Victor Odu, Acting Director of Finance; and Segun Jerumeh, Deputy Director of Finance.
During an investigative hearing, Hon. Uchenna Okonkwo moved a motion that led to the committee’s decision to detain the WAEC officials.
Dangut stated that WAEC was not a government agency and therefore not answerable to parliament, sparking a debate between lawmakers and WAEC representatives on the matter of accountability.
The lawmakers argued that WAEC Nigeria, being established by an Act of the National Assembly, must be accountable to them and follow their directives.
Okonkwo’s motion for the detention of the officials was seconded by Hon. Marie Ebikake, resulting in a brief commotion before the officials were taken into custody by the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly.
After a closed-door session, it was agreed that the officials should return with the required documents, including audited financial statements from 2018 to date and documents related to a N5 billion loan taken by WAEC in 2022.
Committee Chairman Hon Oforji Oboku emphasized that WAEC must operate under the supervision of the National Assembly and comply with Nigerian laws, stating, “We are not here to witch-hunt you. WAEC is subject to Nigeria’s laws.”