By Ayodele Oni
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has been exonerated of allegations of altercations and falsification of his National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC), and West African School Certificates by the Nigerian Police.
The Police High Command on Friday dismissed the allegations of forgery, alteration, falsification and unlawful production of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, certificate levelled against the Minister, describing them as baseless.
Speaking on the allegations, the Force Public Relations Officer, (FPRO), Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the Police, after a thorough investigation into the matter found the allegations to be untrue.
“It has been established that there is no evidence whatsoever of forgery, alteration, falsification or unlawful production of the minister’s NYSC certificate,” he said.
According to him, “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.
“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.
Earlier, on Thursday, youth and civil society groups staged a protest over the alleged certificate forgery by Dr. Tunji-Ojo.
The demonstrators accused the minister of providing conflicting information regarding his NYSC records, a development they said raised serious concerns about integrity in public office.
Addressing journalists during the protest in Abuja, one of the demonstrators said the minister had yet to publicly clarify 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. “In similar situations, some public officials have resigned from offices when faced with such allegations.
” 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 protesters warned that failure to properly address the allegations could further erode public trust in government institutions, particularly among young Nigerians.
“We want a better Nigeria, and accountability begins at home,” another protester said.
“If a situation like this involving Tunji Ojo is allowed to continue unchecked, it could escalate and undermine the credibility of public institutions at the federal level,” he added
A Human Rights Activist had earlier sought and got an order of the court to investigate the certificates of the minister.
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