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The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Tuesday disowned the certificate linked to former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, telling a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that it was not issued by the Corps.
Testifying as the second prosecution witness (PW2) before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the NYSC Assistant Director in the Department of Certification, Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, said an investigation by his department established that the document was fake.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting Nnaji on charges bordering on certificate forgery and money laundering in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026.
Led in evidence by Jimoh Abdulmumuni, SAN, Jumare said the department launched its investigation following a request from the ICPC. He identified four features which, he said, showed that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
The certificate number, purportedly issued in 1985, carries the prefix “A”, which the NYSC did not begin using until 1990.
The call-up number on the certificate has four digits (0137), whereas call-up numbers in 1985 had five digits.
The certificate indicates a service period of 13 months instead of 12 calendar months.
It was also not signed by the head of the NYSC at the time Nnaji claimed to have completed his service. While the head of the NYSC was known as the “Director” from its inception until after the period of Nnaji’s purported service, his certificate was signed by a “National General”.
The prosecution also tendered copies of correspondence between the ICPC and the NYSC concerning the alleged fake certificate. The documents were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits by the court.
The defence said it would address its objections to the admissibility of the exhibits at a later date, informing the court that it had not been served with the documents.
The prosecution counsel explained that he had only just taken over the case and undertook to make the documents available to the defence.
Under cross-examination by Bode Olanikpekun, SAN, Jumare maintained that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
He told the court that his department was the custodian of all NYSC certificates and that certificates were issued to corps members only upon completion of their service year as proof of completion.
He added that call-up letters were sent by the NYSC to universities, where graduates collected them. Only universities forward the names of graduates to the NYSC for mobilisation.
He admitted, however, that he did not check whether the defendant had ever been issued a certificate by the NYSC.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until November 30 for the continuation of the cross-examination of PW2 and January 29 for the continuation of the trial. (Nigerian Tribune)
