The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says forgers of its discharge or exemption certificates risk jail term, option of fine or both as penalties.
The Director, Legal Services, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, said this on Monday in Abuja during the 2023 Legal Officers’ Capacity Building Training.
The training has “The Role of the Legal Officer in the Defence of the Public Service in Nigeria” as its theme.
According to Ibrahim, the NYSC Act contains all the infractions that people should know about. “The infractions are many, like forging the NYSC certificates.
“Also, persons that are supposed to go for youth service as specified in the Act are not coming for youth service while those that are supposed to come for service will do but will not complete it and abscond.
“Therefore, the Act itself has specified what is to be done in respect to these instances.”
Ibrahim also said some attend the orientation camps with forged documents and when such persons are caught, they are arrested by the police for prosecution.
He said though such cases abound in court, the exact number could not be determined, adding that they were being followed up.
“The punishment, first of all, is to arrest them, the police will now charge them to court and it is now left for the courts to decide if it is imprisonment or fine.
“It is at the discretion of the court to say this is what we are going to do as the term of imprisonment.
“If you are found guilty by the court, the court can give you two years jail term depending on the type of offence or three years or an option of fine or both jail term and fine.”
The Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed said the capacity building is to stimulate efficiency and higher corporate performance and is in line with one of the focal areas of his policy thrust to the scheme.
Ahmed, represented by Ibrahim, said the training was organised to enhance the capacity and knowledge of legal officers in the scheme on their professional roles in the defence of the Public Service in Nigeria.
He said the training was expected to harness the potential of the legal officers in the scheme for improved professional services.
“Over the past 50 years of existence of the scheme, our experience has shown that the decision by management to train and re-train staff of the scheme has proven to be very fruitful.
“This is especially in the training of legal officers, judging from the laudable achievements recorded so far by the Legal Unit and the professional conduct of legal officers in the scheme.
“The unit has kept faith with its mandate of rendering quality legal advice to the NYSC management and has shown due diligence in handling cases involving the scheme in different Courts of Law in Nigeria.