I Bought My NYSC Ceritificate For N25,000 - Suspect Confesses

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has arrested seven persons for allegedly purchasing fake exemption and exclusion certificates of the Scheme. Daily Independent however learnt that three of the suspect escaped during interrogation at the scheme’s headquarters.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Director, Certification, Alhaji Hudu Aliyu Taura, said the suspects, who claimed to be graduates from various institutions, were detected through the certificates sent to the organization by their employers for verification.

He said the suspects confessed they got the certificates from other sources, adding that they paid certain amount of money to get them. Taura, who denied the involvement of any staff of the scheme in the act, revealed that the management have compiled the report with their written statement which would be handed over to the security personnel for further necessary actions.

One of the suspects, who claimed innocence to the act, said he finished a part-time programme, when the then coordinator who works in the school asked those of them interested in the exemption letter to register.

“I was among those who indicated interest. After six months, we were called to come and pick it up. I never knew that what he issued to us was fake. The suspect, who said he was not forced to come NYSC, said he came because he wanted to check the genuineness of the certificate at the legal department where he was told that the certificate was fake.

Disclosing that he paid the sum of N25,000 for the certificate, he said he got himself into the ‘mess’ ignorantly, saying he never knew that he could get an exemption certificate without paying because “I was working and doing the part time studies at the same time”.