The Nasarawa State Police Command has apprehended a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, identified as Ogeh Bethel Chibuife, for illegal entry into the Magaji Dan Yumusa Orientation Camp in Keffi, the state capital. The arrest was made following a report by an NYSC official, leading to the suspect’s discovery during a headcount.
According to Ramhan Nansel, the state police spokesperson, the suspect, an extra year student of Public Administration at Ebonyi State University, attempted to blend into the 2024 Batch A, Stream 1 corps members during the 21-day orientation program. Investigations revealed that Chibuife, despite facing academic challenges, sought to deceive her parents by fabricating claims of graduation, resorting to desperate measures to maintain the illusion.
“She confessed that she was supposed to have graduated in 2022, but had a lot of spillover courses, and in a bid to cover up the lies she had made to her parents, she went to the market and purchased NYSC uniforms/other items meant for corps members and sneaked into the camp in order to take pictures and send to her parents before nemesis caught up with her,” Nansel stated.
Subsequently, Chibuife has been charged with criminal trespass, impersonation, and forgery at the Chief Magistrate Court in Keffi. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, emphasized the consequences awaiting individuals attempting such fraudulent acts, cautioning against any attempts to emulate these deceitful behaviors.
This incident in Nasarawa echoes similar occurrences across the nation, including the recent arrest of a fake corps member at the Bauchi State orientation camp. Muhammed Bello Hassan was apprehended in Wailo, Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state, after allegedly entering the camp with a counterfeit call-up letter. Additionally, stolen phones and valuable items purportedly taken from fellow corps members were recovered from Hassan, underscoring the seriousness of these fraudulent activities.
In light of these events, the NYSC scheme, designed to foster national unity and development through youth engagement, faces challenges posed by individuals resorting to deception. The need for stringent measures to safeguard the integrity of the program has been underscored by these incidents, prompting authorities to intensify efforts in detecting and preventing such fraudulent activities.
