NSCDC arrests fake corps member in Abuja, dismisses claims of unlawful detention

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command has arrested a 27yearold man, Joseph Nanmwa Philips, for allegedly impersonating a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member using forged documents, including a fake callup letter, and teaching at a school for close to one year. Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the FCT Commandant of the corps, Olusola Odumosu, refuted online claims that the agency unlawfully kept a Corps member while demanding commandants fees for his release.  Odumosu described such reports as baseless, malicious and a deliberate attempt to misrepresent facts for sensational purposes. Odumosu emphasised that the corps members operates strictly within the provisions of the law and ethical guideline. "The alleged suspect, Joseph Philips, 27, from Plateau State, is an impostor a fake corps member who forged his NYSC call-up letter to gain placement at the International Model Science Academy, Kwali, the commandant said.  He explained that Philips was arrested on February 6 following complaints of forgery, hacking and impersonation, and was later transferred to the FCT command on February 9 for further investigation.  According to Odumosu, Philips was granted bail the same day but could not meet the bail conditions because he did not have a credible surety. "As a law-abiding security agency fully sensitive to the rule of law, the command approached the court to obtain a remand order for him, he said.  He added that a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, subsequently issued a remand order in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. The commandant also rejected allegations that the corps demanded money from the suspect before releasing him. "Contrary to the falsehood being spread about the alleged demand for money by the command for his release, the published sum was the amount fraudulently collected from some parents, which the suspect was meant to refund to them, he said. Odumosu said investigations revealed that Philips allegedly defrauded some parents of about N1.3m by claiming he would provide Cambridge University scholarships and extra lessons for their children. He said items recovered from the suspect included a forged NYSC call-up letter, an NYSC uniform, documents of financial transactions, a bag containing hard drugs and other materials linked to the alleged fraud. The commandant also dismissed claims that the suspect was not being fed while in custody. "Anyone who has been in our facility for one reason or another can attest that we feed all suspects in our custody in line with the provisions of the ACJA 2015, where suspects are to be fed at least twice a day, he said. As we speak, there are overwhelming facts, including a disclaimer letter from the office of the NYSC FCT, as well as statements from seven defrauded parents on the alleged offences of impersonation, forgery and extortion against the acclaimed corps member, which shall be presented in court during prosecution." Speaking with journalists, Philips admitted forging the NYSC callup letter after he was apprehended by the Kwali Division of the Corps following complaints of forgery, hacking, and impersonation involving the National Mathematical Centre. The forged letter was reportedly used by Philips to secure placement at the International Model Science Academy, Kwali, where he taught while signing monthly clearance papers in Lugbe, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).  The report had earlier alleged that Philips was detained for more than two months by the NSCDC after a dispute with the proprietor of International Model Science Academy in the Kwali Area Council of the FCT.  The report claimed that Philips, who served as a Mathematics and Physics teacher at the school, was arrested after organising extra coaching classes for students preparing for scholarship examinations without the approval of the school management.  A former detainee identified as Chimezie Otuojor alleged that the corps member had remained in custody for about 65 days without being taken to court and that officials demanded N1.3m and an additional N120,000 described as a commandants service charge before he could be released.  Otuojor also claimed that the detainees health had deteriorated during the period and that he was not adequately fed while in custody. The post NSCDC arrests fake corps member in Abuja, dismisses claims of unlawful detention appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.