Peter Mbah sues NYSC over discharge certificate controversy, demands N20bn damages

Peter Mbah, governor-elect of Enugu state, has sued the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Ibrahim Muhammad, the scheme’s director of certifications, for N20 billion.

Mbah is demanding compensation for what he described as conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts.

In February 2023, NYSC issued a letter signed by Muhammed saying the certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps.

Mbah approached the federal high court with an ex parte application after which the NYSC was restrained from further issuing a disclaimer on the certificate.

Apart from N20 billion damages, Mbah is seeking a declaration that he participated in the NYSC scheme for one calendar year via a call-up letter numbered FRN/2001/800351 with the Lagos code LA/01/1532.

He said the declaration must state that he was issued a certificate of national service numbered A808297 upon completing his service year in 2003.

Mbah further seeks a declaration that NYSC and its director for corps certification “conspired by fraudulent design, suppressed, and misrepresented facts” in voiding his certificate of national service.

The governor-elect said “the predominant purpose of the deceitful misrepresentation was intended albeit to inflict damages in legal profession, politics, business, as it was to unlawfully profit the defendants”.

In an affidavit submitted in support of Mbah’s counterclaim, his lawyers said the governor-elect returned to Nigeria to practise as a barrister and solicitor of the supreme court after bagging a law degree from the University of East London in 2000.

They said he applied and was admitted into the Bar Part I programme of the Nigerian Law School.

“The plaintiff upon completing the bar part I exam had to wait for the bar part II programme. He was advised that instead of idling away to proceed on the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps programme,” the lawyers said.

“The plaintiff upon completion of his NYSC service, was issued the NYSC certificate No. A808297 dated 6th January, 2003, certifying that he completed the one year of NYSC from 7th January, 2002 to 6th January 2003.”