Two Ex-Minister Still Free As Court Convicts Ex‑NIPC Official For Using Forged Certificates

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of a former official of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) for presenting forged academic and service documents to secure employment.

Naijaonpoint reports that Muhammad Musa was convicted by Justice B. Mandy Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Asokoro, Abuja, after entering a plea bargain on a one‑count amended charge of forgery.

The ICPC disclosed the court’s ruling on Wednesday, although it did not indicate the exact date the judgment was delivered.

According to the anti‑graft agency, Musa obtained employment with the NIPC by fraudulently presenting a forged Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, said to be from the University of Maiduguri, and a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.

The fraud came to light after the NIPC’s Executive Secretary requested a staff verification audit. The ICPC said independent checks confirmed that neither certificate was genuine.

In Charge No: CR/113/25, ICPC counsel O. R. Bada told the court that Musa’s actions contravened Section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The prosecution explained that Musa was initially arraigned on a six‑count charge relating to forgery and false statements. However, after he sought leniency and cooperated with investigators, the charges were reduced to a single count under a plea bargain agreement.

“The plea bargain served the interest of justice,” the ICPC counsel submitted, noting that Musa showed remorse and full cooperation during the investigation and prosecution.

As part of the agreement, Musa refunded ₦36.5 million, described as proceeds earned from the false representation, into the ICPC Recovery Account.

Defence counsel Emeka Izima told the court that his client was genuinely repentant and had returned all benefits derived from the offence.

In her judgment, Justice Bassi upheld the plea bargain agreement, imposed a non‑custodial sentence on Musa, and ordered that he maintain good conduct.

She also fined him ₦50,000.

Others With Forged Certificates Still Free

While Musa was convicted, two former ministers linked to forged NYSC certificates remain free from prosecution.

A Premium Times investigation revealed that former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun resigned in September 2018 after admitting she submitted a forged NYSC exemption certificate to secure political appointments.

In her resignation letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari, she said she did not know the certificate was forged, attributing its acquisition to associates.

A separate investigation published last year showed that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, also submitted forged credentials, including a degree certificate and NYSC discharge certificate, during his ministerial confirmation in 2023.

Mr Nnaji reportedly acknowledged that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), never issued him a valid degree certificate.

Nigerian law prescribes penalties for anyone who absconds from the NYSC scheme or forges its certificates. Under the NYSC Act, eligible Nigerians who skip the service are liable to 12 months’ imprisonment and/or ₦2,000 fine (Section 13), three‑year jail term or ₦5,000 fine for contraventions and up to three years’ imprisonment for giving false information or illegally obtaining a certificate

Forgery itself is a criminal offence under both the Criminal Code Act (applicable in southern Nigeria) and the Penal Code (applicable in the north).

Under Section 465 of the Criminal Code Act, anyone who makes a false document knowing it to be false, with the intent to deceive, may face criminal sanction. Section 467 states that forgery is a felony carrying a three‑year jail term upon conviction.

In the north, Section 364 of the Penal Code provides that “Whoever commits forgery shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years.”