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DSS Indicts NYSC of cover-up, shoddy investigation, poor record keeping, clears Gov. Mbah of certificate forgery
• Says NYSC couldn’t account for 12 certificates
• Asks agency to retract disclaimer of Mbah’s certificate
•We have effectively debunked grounds of petition – Mbah’s counsel
The Department of State Services (DSS) has debunked claims by the National Youths Service Corps NYSC to the effect that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election and incumbent governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, forged his NYSC discharge certificate.
The Nigeria secret police indicted the NYSC of shoddy and hasty investigation in coming to the conclusion that Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate was fake, saying that certificates in Mbah’s series were found to have been issued to corps members in Lagos, contrary to NYSC’s claim.
It frowned at the NYSC’s misplacement of Mbah’s original file and opened a temporary one for him, noting that NYSC was also unable to trace to whom or which state or states of the federation 12 of its certificates, A808297 to A808308 were issued.
The security agency said “the failure of the NYSC to maintain a proper record keeping system was the cause of its inability to trace Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s initial certificate”, adding “It would be wrong for the NYSC to blame Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for its own failure in record keeping”.
The DSS made these known in a Statement on Oath adopted by its representative, Mr. Yahaya Isa Mohammed, at the ongoing Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as Mbah called two witnesses to open his defence on Wednesday.
Giving evidence, the subpoenaed DSS Deputy Director, Operations and Strategic Department, said the security agency commenced investigation into the discharge certificate controversy following a petition to it by Dr. Mbah dated February 8, 2023.
Mohammed said the investigation revealed: “That there were exchanges of correspondences between Mbah and the NYSC at every stage of their interactions. Mbah did not take any action without the NYSC’s approval.
“That Mbah’s file with the NYSC got missing at some point in time and NYSC started using a temporary file for him. For instance, in NYSC response to his application for deferment, the file number was LA/10/1532, while in their response to his remobilization application, the file number was LA/01/1532/T.
He added: “That there was a mix up in his record as a result of the missing file.
“That the difference in Mbah’s certificate number compared to others that were mobilized at the same time, is due to the inability of NYSC to trace the initial file where the first certificate A678 was.
According to him, “from the documents presented by NYSC regarding certificate numbers, about twelve (12) certificate numbers (A808297-A808308) which includes that of Mbah, remained unaccounted for in the eight (8) series by the NYSC.
Mohammed further stated, “That the law firm, Udeh &Associates, where Mbah served, cleared him for his monthly clearance for eleven (11) months covering January-June, 2002 and May-August, 2003 as well as his final clearance in September, 2003, covering the period of his first mobilization and re-instatement indicated that he served;hence, no need for him to forge certificate.
“That NYSC did not do a thorough job before concluding that the certificate Mbah presented was fake.
“That the Director Corps Certification (Ibrahim Muhammad) failed to exploit all available avenues to ensure that due diligence was done before issuing a statement on the matter.
“That against NYSC claim that “8 Series” Certificates were not issued in Lagos State, upon insistence by the service for them to check their records properly, certificates in that series were discovered to have been issued to some corps members who served in Lagos State.
“That NYSC did not have a proper record. This resulted in the misplacement of Mbah’s initial file by NYSC and the use of temporary file for him as well as its inability to trace whom or which State(s) twelve (12) of its certificates (A808297 to A808308) were issued.
“That all through Mbah’s service year, from the first mobilization to his service reinstatement after his Bar final examination, Udeh & Associates where he did his primary assignment, issued him clearance letters on a monthly basis.
“That NYSC certificate series are not based on state of service, as all certificate series including the “8-Series” were issued in all the states of the federation as against NYSC’s claim that its certificates series were state-based.
“That the claim by Muhammad (NYSC Director of Corps Certification) that Mbah’s supposed ‘6-Series’ certificate was part of the certificates shredded/destroyed by the NYSC negates the claim that he did not serve, as it is impossible to produce the said shredded certificate for Mbah, if he did not serve”
Continuing, the DSS said if further found: “That the failure of the NYSC to maintain a proper record-keeping system was the cause of its inability to trace Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s initial certificate”, adding that “it would be wrong for the NYSC to blame Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for its own failure in record- keeping”.
The agency, therefore recommended: “That the NYSC should retract its initial letter that Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s certificate was not issued by it, as it has failed to trace its records for twelve (12) certificates (A808297-A808308), inclusive of Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s.
“That the NYSC, the petitioner as well as other relevant action agencies such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) be intimated about the outcome of the investigation.
“That the NYSC be requested to explain how twelve (12) certificates with serial numbers (A808297 to A808308) are still unaccounted for, as well as be requested to trace the said certificates”.
Meanwhile, the DSS said it came to its conclusion relying, among others, on the verified documents submitted by Dr. Mbah and the NYSC, most of which are one and the same.
Documents tendered by Mbah, according to the agency, were: Correspondence between Mbah and the NYSC at every stage of their interactions; Mbah’s call up letter with Serial Number: 0134613, Reference Number: NYSC/FRN/2001/800351 and deployment State – (Lagos State); Mbah’s posting letter with reference number LA/01/1532 to Udeh & Associates for his primary assignment
Mohammed said Mbah signed monthly clearance letter for 11 months from Udeh & Associates law firm, Lagos; signed final clearance letter from Udeh & Associates law firm, Lagos dated September, 2003; Mbah’s application for deferment of his service year; NYSC’s approval of his application for deferment; Mbah’s application for reinstatement to complete his service;
NYSC’s approval of his application for reinstatement (with Reference Number: LA/01/1532/T): letter from Udeh & Associates law firm in Lagos, confirming that Mbah served with the firm and ensuing clearances including the final clearance were issued to him; and Mbah’s NYSC Certificate of National Service with number A808297.
Lead Counsel to Labour Party and petitioner against Mbah,2nd Respondent in the matter, Chief Awomolo Adogoke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had during the cross examination sought to know from the DSS representative, Mr. Yahaya Isa Mohammed, if his coming was official and authorised by the Director-General of the agency, which the witness responded in the affirmation.
He said he was in court following the subpoena by the tribunal.
Addressing pressmen, one of the counsels to Mbah, Mr. Ikechukwu Onuoma, said all the allegations raised against his client had been convincingly debunked by the two witnesses.
“Today, during the proceedings, we had opened our case with evidence by Dr. F.S.A Uzoh adopting the Statement on Oath. He gave evidence in the areas in dispute as the State Collation Agent.
“We also had the second witness, Isa Mohammed, who is a staff of the DSS. He investigated the alleged certificate, which the petitioners stated was not issued by the NYSC. And he also debunked that allegation clearly in the witness box.
“With these two witnesses, we think that we fielded credible witnesses in order to debunk the two grounds. And these two grounds are first, the grounds of non-qualification as alleged by the petitioner. The second is the ground of alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act. And we think that these two witnesses have sufficiently debunked those allegations and with that we have closed our case for the 2nd Respondent, Dr. Peter Mbah”.
Tukur died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, according to a statement issued by his family and signed by his son, Awwal D. Tukur.
The family described the former PDP chairman as its “beloved father and patriarch,” saying he lived a life of service to his family, community, Adamawa State and Nigeria.
“It is with profound sadness and total submission to the will of Almighty Allah that the family announces the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Alhaji Bamanga Mohammed Tukur, who returned to his Creator today 12th September 2026,” he said.
The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David A. B. Mark, GCON, has expressed deep sadness over the passing of former Governor of the old Gongola State, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbodinyan in Abuja.
Senator Mark described the death of the elder statesman as a great loss to Nigeria, particularly at a time when the country needs the wisdom, experience and counsel of its older generation of leaders.
He said Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was a prominent figure whose contributions to Nigeria’s political, administrative and economic development spanned several decades.
According to him, Tukur’s public service record, including his tenure as Governor of the old Gongola State, his service as Minister of Industries and his later leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reflected a life devoted to the service of the nation.
Senator Mark noted that the deceased was also an accomplished businessman and international figure whose contributions extended beyond partisan politics to national development and institution-building.
“Alhaji Bamanga Tukur belonged to a generation of Nigerians who devoted their lives to the service of the country. His journey through public service, business and politics was remarkable, and his counsel and experience will be greatly missed.
“His death is not only a loss to his family and the people of Adamawa State, but also to Nigeria as a whole. At this difficult moment, we must remember and celebrate the values of service, patriotism and national unity that characterised his long public career.”
Senator Mark commiserated with the Tukur family, the government and people of Adamawa State, as well as the many associates and political colleagues of the deceased.
He prayed Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings, grant him eternal rest and give his family the strength to bear the loss.
Aggrieved people of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State took to the streets on Friday in protest against incessant attacks, kidnappings and the worsening security situation threatening lives, livelihoods and economic activities in the area.
The protest, which reportedly drew residents from parts of the local government, was said to have been triggered by growing fears over repeated attacks and abductions allegedly carried out by armed criminals operating around vulnerable communities.
The protesters expressed deep concern over what they described as the persistent insecurity confronting the area, calling on the Federal and Sokoto State governments to take urgent and decisive measures to protect residents from further attacks.
They lamented that the continued incidents had created an atmosphere of fear, particularly among farmers, traders and rural dwellers whose livelihoods depend largely on unrestricted access to farms, markets and other economic activities.
The demonstrators reportedly demanded the deployment of more security personnel and operational assets to vulnerable communities, insisting that security agencies must intensify patrols, surveillance and intelligence-led operations to prevent further attacks.
They also appealed for stronger collaboration among the military, police and other security agencies to track down criminal elements responsible for the attacks and restore confidence among residents.
The protesters said the situation had assumed a disturbing dimension capable of undermining agricultural production and forcing residents to abandon their communities and farmlands for safer locations.
Responding to concerns over the development, the Sokoto State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of the situation and assured residents that security operatives were “on top of the situation.”
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ahmad Rufai, who confirmed the development, said the police were monitoring the situation and taking necessary measures to maintain security and protect lives and property in the affected area.
The assurance came amid heightened anxiety among residents, many of whom are demanding not only immediate security intervention but also sustained operations capable of preventing further attacks and kidnappings.
The latest protest has further highlighted the mounting security challenges confronting parts of the North-West, where banditry and kidnapping have continued to threaten rural communities, disrupt agriculture and inflict severe social and economic hardship on vulnerable populations.
Residents are therefore urging the authorities to translate assurances into visible and sustained security operations, arguing that the ultimate measure of success would be the restoration of peace and the ability of citizens to live, farm and conduct their legitimate businesses without fear.
As tension persists, stakeholders are calling for strengthened intelligence gathering, community engagement and coordinated security operations to ensure that Tambuwal and neighbouring communities do not become increasingly vulnerable to criminal elements. (Vanguard)
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