The National Youth Service Corps has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that it did not issue the National Youth Service certificate allegedly linked to former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji.
An NYSC Assistant Director in the Department of Certification, Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, while testifying as the second prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Tuesday, said investigations conducted by his department established that the certificate was not genuine.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, is prosecuting Nnaji over allegations bordering on certificate forgery and money laundering in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026.
While being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Jimoh Abdulmumuni, SAN, the witness explained that his department began investigating the document following a request from the ICPC.
Also Read: Bus driver identifies kidnappers of NYSC members in court
He identified four discrepancies which, according to him, indicated that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
First, he said the certificate number, purportedly issued in 1985, bears the prefix “A”, which the Corps only introduced in 1990.
Second, the call-up number on the document is written as 0137, a four-digit figure, whereas NYSC call-up numbers in 1985 consisted of five digits.
Third, the certificate indicates a service duration of 13 months instead of the standard 12 calendar months.
The fourth discrepancy, according to Jumare, concerns the designation of the official who signed the certificate.
He explained that the head of the NYSC was addressed as the “Director” during the period Nnaji allegedly completed his service, but the document was signed by an official identified as “National General”.
The prosecution also presented correspondence exchanged between the ICPC and the NYSC regarding the disputed certificate. The documents were admitted by the court and marked as exhibits.
However, the defence informed the court that it would raise objections to their admissibility later, arguing that it had not been served with the documents.
In response, the prosecution counsel said he had only recently taken over the case and promised to provide the defence with copies.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Bode Olanikpekun, SAN, Jumare maintained that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
He explained that his department keeps records of all NYSC certificates and that such documents are issued to corps members after completing their mandatory service year.
The witness further stated that call-up letters are forwarded to universities, where graduates collect them, adding that universities are responsible for submitting graduates’ names to the Corps for mobilisation.
However, under further questioning, Jumare admitted 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 witness, while January 29 was fixed for the continuation of the trial.
newsexpressngr.com
