By Vivian Okejeme
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has disowned a certificate linked to former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, telling a Federal High Court in Abuja that the document was not issued by the organisation.
An Assistant Director in the NYSC Department of Certification, Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, disclosed this on Tuesday while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former minister.
Testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Jumare said an investigation conducted by his department established that the certificate allegedly presented by Nnaji was not genuine.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting the former minister over allegations of certificate forgery and money laundering in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026.
Nnaji, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the forthcoming Enugu State election, was represented by a team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanikpekun, SAN. Other members of the defence team included Chief Ugwu Onoja, SAN; Bode Olanikpekun, SAN; and George Ibrahim, SAN.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Jimoh Abdulmumuni, SAN, Jumare said the NYSC commenced its investigation following a request from the ICPC.
He identified four discrepancies which, according to him, established that the certificate was not issued by the Corps.
First, he said the certificate number, purportedly issued in 1985, carried the prefix “A”, which the NYSC only began using in 1990.
Second, the call-up number on the document contained four digits (0137), whereas call-up numbers issued in 1985 had five digits.
Third, he said the certificate indicated a service period of 13 months instead of the standard 12-month service year.
Fourth, Jumare told the court that the document was not signed by the appropriate head of the NYSC at the time of the alleged service. He explained that the head of the organisation was designated Director during the relevant period, whereas the certificate bore the signature of an official described as a “National General”.
The prosecution also tendered copies of correspondence between the ICPC and the NYSC concerning the disputed certificate. The documents were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits.
However, the defence informed the court that it would reserve its objections to the admissibility of the documents, arguing that it had not been served with copies.
In response, the prosecution counsel explained that he had only recently taken over the case and promised to make the documents available to the defence.
During cross-examination by Bode Olanikpekun, SAN, Jumare maintained that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
He explained that the Department of Certification is the custodian of all NYSC certificates and that certificates are issued to corps members only after completing their mandatory service year.
The witness further told the court that NYSC call-up letters are forwarded to universities for collection by graduates, while universities are responsible for submitting the names of eligible graduates to the Corps for mobilisation.
However, he admitted under cross-examination that he did not verify whether Nnaji had ever been issued an NYSC certificate.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until November 30 for the continuation of the cross-examination of the second prosecution witness, while January 29 was fixed for the continuation of the trial.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
