A 27-year-old man, Joseph Nanmwa Philips, has been arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, Federal Capital Territory FCT Command, for allegedly posing as a member of the National Youth Service Corps NYSC with forged documents.
According to the Command, Philips, a native of Plateau State, was arrested on February 6, 2026, after allegedly using a forged NYSC call-up letter to secure a primary assignment placement at the International Model Science Academy, Kwali.
Parading the suspect at the Command Headquarters on Thursday, Commandant of the Corps, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, also addressed an online report alleging unlawful detention and extortion within the Command.
The NSCDC FCT Commandant described the claims published by an online media platform as “entirely baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to misrepresent facts for sensational purposes.”
Odumosu said: “The self-acclaimed NYSC member, Joseph Nanmwa Philips, was arrested by our Kwali Division following complaints bordering on forgery, hacking, and impersonation of the leadership of the National Mathematical Center”.
He further said investigations revealed that the suspect reportedly cloned university email addresses and defrauded seven parents of approximately N1.3 million under the guise of securing Cambridge University scholarships and extra lessons for their children.
The Command clarified that the “N1.4 million fee” cited in the online report was the amount Philips was expected to refund to his victims, rather than a bribe for his release.
“We are a credible institution with zero tolerance for corruption, and no amount of money is charged for bail under any guise,” the commandant added.
The NSCDC further clarified that Philips remains in custody due to his inability to meet bail conditions and is held under a valid remand order from the Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2.
The command listed exhibits recovered from the suspect to include an NYSC uniform, a forged call-up letter, and a bag containing hard drugs.
The NSCDC urged government agencies and the private sector to be vigilant, noting that “if the likes of Phillips can succeed in getting placement as a Youth Corps member with fake documents without being detected for almost one year, it is obvious that many such criminals are still walking freely.”
While speaking on the allegations levelled against him, Philips admitted forging his call-up letter, even as the NYSC had also written the command to disclaim him.
He also said he signed his monthly clearance in Lugbe within the Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC, despite teaching in a school domiciled in Kwali Area Council.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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