A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed that Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah’s, National Youth Service Corp certificate is authentic, hence, imposed N5 Million fine on the body for alleging that the certificate was forged.
Mbah had sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a discharge certificate issued to him on January 6, 2003.
While Delivering judgment on Monday, November 6, the judge Presiding over the matter, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by Mbah, was authentic and validly issued by the NYSC.
Ekwo also said that the Director-General of the NYSC and the corps, who were defendants in the suit, were guilty of misrepresentation of material facts.
The court said Mbah, midway into his service, sought and, after receiving permission from the NYSC to attend the Nigeria Law School, was reinstated into the NYSC in 2003.
According to the court, the unchallenged evidence of the plaintiff on how the discharge certificate was issued to him in 2003 by NYSC after serving in a law firm in Lagos and the inability of the Corps to come up with counter-evidence, it was crystal clear that the plaintiff served the mandatory one-year service.
The court also stated that Mbah’s evidence was heavier and more believable.
