Nigeria Police Force Formally Clears Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo of NYSC Certificate Forgery Allegations

The Nigeria Police Force has cleared Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo of NYSC certificate forgery after an exhaustive investigation and official verification.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 7, 2026, 3:58 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Independent Newspaper Nigeria

Official Exoneration After Exhaustive Investigation

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has issued a formal statement clearing the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of all allegations related to the forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate. This official exoneration follows weeks of public debate and targeted protests by various civil society and youth organizations in Abuja and Lagos. Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the police conducted a thorough forensic audit and document verification process, which ultimately found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The announcement aims to put an end to the administrative and legal uncertainty that has surrounded the Minister’s credentials since the allegations first surfaced.

Direct Verification with the NYSC

Central to the police investigation was a direct inquiry sent to the National Youth Service Corps headquarters. ACP Hundeyin noted that the NYSC officially verified the certificate as a document duly issued by the corps to Dr. Tunji-Ojo. The police findings explicitly state that there is "no evidence whatsoever of forgery, alteration, falsification, or unlawful production" of the document. This verification by the issuing authority serves as the definitive piece of evidence in the case, effectively debunking the claims of discrepancies in the Minister's records that had been highlighted by opposition groups.

Context of the Civil Society Protests

The allegations had gained momentum through coordinated protests in Nigeria’s major cities, where demonstrators demanded a high-level probe and the Minister's immediate resignation to ensure an unbiased investigation. Protesters had pointed to alleged inconsistencies in the dates and serial numbers of the certificate as grounds for suspicion. However, in light of the police report, some analysts have characterized these demonstrations as "staged outrage" intended to distract from the Ministry of Interior's current reform agenda. The police have now labeled these specific allegations as "unfounded," suggesting that the discrepancies cited by protesters did not hold up under professional scrutiny.