NYSC Tells Court: Certificate Attributed to Ex-Minister Nnaji Is Fake
The National Youth Service Corps has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the discharge certificate presented in the name of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, did not originate from the Corps.
Nnaji, who is the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the Enugu State governorship election, is facing trial by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on allegations of certificate forgery and money laundering.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026, came up on Tuesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The prosecution called its second witness, Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, an Assistant Director in the NYSC Department of Certification. Jumare told the court that his department examined the document at the request of the ICPC and found it to be inauthentic.
He listed four irregularities:
– The certificate number bore the prefix “A” even though that prefix was only introduced in 1990, while the document claimed to have been issued in 1985.
– The call-up number contained four digits instead of the standard five.
– It indicated 13 months of service rather than the mandatory 12 months.
– It did not carry the signature of the Director-General who was in office at the time.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Bode Olanikpekun, SAN, the witness stood by his findings. He, however, conceded that he did not verify whether Nnaji had ever been issued a genuine certificate by the Corps.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to November 30 for continuation of cross-examination and to January 29 for continuation of trial.
