NYSC official tells Abuja court ex-minister Nnaji's discharge certificate was not issued by the scheme
Testifying in the ICPC's forgery case against former science minister Geoffrey (Uche) Nnaji, an NYSC certification officer listed four features he said show the 1985 certificate did not come from the corps. Nnaji has pleaded not guilty.
An official of Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, 3 November, that the NYSC discharge certificate presented by former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Geoffrey Nnaji, also known as Uche Nnaji, did not originate from the corps.
Nnaji is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in charge FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. He faces six counts, including alleged forgery of his NYSC discharge certificate and of a University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree certificate, as well as money-laundering counts. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in July 2026, and the allegations remain unproven.
Four alleged discrepancies
The second prosecution witness, Yusuf Abubakar Jumare, an assistant director in the NYSC Department of Certification, said the corps checked the document after a request from the ICPC. According to reports by QED and The Advocate, he identified four problems.
First, the certificate is dated 1985 but its number carries an "A" prefix that, he said, the NYSC introduced only in 1990. Second, the call-up number has four digits, while 1985 call-up numbers had five. Third, the certificate records a 13-month service period instead of the required 12 months. Fourth, it is signed by an official styled "National General", while the head of the corps at the time held the title of Director.
Correspondence between the ICPC and the NYSC was admitted as exhibits. The defence said it had not been served with the documents and reserved its right to challenge their admissibility; the prosecution said it would make them available.
Cross-examination and next steps
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Bode Olanipekun SAN, the witness maintained that the NYSC did not issue the certificate. He also accepted that he had not checked whether the NYSC had ever issued Nnaji any other certificate. Cross-examination is due to continue on 30 November 2026, with further trial dates set for 29 January 2027.
Nnaji resigned as minister in October 2025 after media allegations about his academic and NYSC documents. The ICPC alleges he received about N29.5 million in pay and allowances while in office; this is also contested and yet to be decided by the court.
Why it matters for verification
The testimony shows how issuing bodies test a disputed credential against their own record-keeping rules, such as numbering formats, service periods and the official titles of signatories. Employers and screening panels can apply the same principle by confirming documents directly with the issuing body rather than relying on copies supplied by the candidate.
This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.
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