By Jelili Gbadamosi
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has identified several irregularities in the certificate linked to former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, insisting that the document was not issued by the scheme.
The disclosure was made on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, an Assistant Director in the NYSC Department of Certification, testified as the second prosecution witness in Nnaji’s ongoing trial.
Jumare told Justice Joyce Abdulmalik that an investigation conducted by his department, following a request from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), established that the certificate was fake.
Explaining the findings, the witness said the certificate number purportedly issued in 1985 carried the prefix “A”, which the NYSC only introduced in 1990.
He also noted that the call-up number on the document contained four digits, whereas certificates issued in 1985 carried five-digit call-up numbers.
According to him, the document further indicated a 13-month service period instead of the required 12 calendar months and lacked the signature of the NYSC Director-General who served at the time.
The ICPC is prosecuting Nnaji over allegations of certificate forgery and money laundering.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Jimoh Abdulmumuni, SAN, tendered correspondence between the commission and the NYSC, which the court admitted as exhibits.
However, the defence team, led by Wole Olanikpekun, SAN, said it would raise objections to the admissibility of the documents at a later stage, explaining that it had not been served with the materials.
Under cross-examination by Bode Olanikpekun, SAN, Jumare maintained that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until November 30 for the continuation of the cross-examination of the witness and January 29 for further proceedings.
Nnaji, a former PDP governorship candidate in Enugu State, has denied the allegations against him.
