The Nigerian Police Force has dismissed allegations of certificate forgery against the Minister of Interior, Tunji Ojo, describing them as baseless following an extensive investigation.
The Police, through its spokesperson, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that no evidence was found of forgery, alteration, falsification, or unlawful production of the minister’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
According to him, the investigation established that there was no proof of forgery, alteration, falsification, or unlawful production of the minister’s NYSC certificate.
“After an exhaustive investigation into the allegations, it has been established that there is no evidence whatsoever of forgery, alteration, falsification or unlawful production of the minister’s NYSC certificate,” Hundeyin said.
He explained that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was contacted during the investigation and confirmed that the certificate in question was duly issued to the minister.
“The NYSC was contacted and it was verified that the certificate was duly issued by the corps to the minister. The allegations are therefore unfounded,” he added.
The development comes a day after youth and civil society groups staged a protest in Abuja over the alleged certificate forgery involving the minister.
The demonstrators accused Tunji-Ojo of providing conflicting information regarding his NYSC records, which they said raised concerns about integrity in public office.
Addressing journalists during the protest, one of the demonstrators said the minister had yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
“We have not heard from him. He has not come out to clarify to the public whether what is being said is right or wrong,” the protester said.
The protesters also argued that in similar circumstances, some public officials had resigned from office when faced with such allegations, insisting that accountability should apply equally to all public office holders.
“We want accountability, and we want everyone to be treated equally. What is good for one person should be good for all. If other ministers could resign over similar issues, we do not see why he should still remain in office,” the protester added.
They warned that failure to properly address such allegations could erode public trust in government institutions, particularly among young Nigerians, and undermine the credibility of public offices at the federal level.
