FAKE CORPS MEMBERS NABBED IN KADUNA

By NBF News

Nine fake corps members have been arrested and paraded at the ongoing orientation camp for the Batch C National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kaduna. Parading the fake corps members, the Kaduna State NYSC coordinator, Barrister Adebayo Somefun said that the fake corps members found their way into the camp after the endurance trek, which took place the same day, adding that this was the first case since the beginning of the camp three weeks ago.

According to him, 'They were noticed during the endurance trek by vigilant NYSC officials that they were not genuine corps members.

'They came into the camp today because they were not accredited as corps members, adding that there was no way they would have scaled through the screening and registration exercise.

'We have interrogated them and they have confessed to have come into the camp today to take photographs to show sponsors that they have served. Some of them claimed to have been jobless for two to three years and they needed the photographs to convince their sponsors to sponsor them for further education or to get a job.

'There must be a syndicate for all of them to have come today, and that is why they will be handed over to the police for further interrogation. We cannot do the job of the police for them; we have done our own bit by being vigilant enough to discover that these are fake corps members, so we are letting the public know that these are the people spoiling our image', he lamented.

The fake corps members gave their names as Glory Edet Effiong , Unical; Matilda Okon Ekrang, the Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene; Christopher Ekong, EBSU; Stella Imaji Ogar, Crutech; Ngozi Ebuka, Crutech; Robert Bassey, Uniuyo; Mariam Effarga, Uniuyo and Gift Okon, Unical. Most of the fake corps members who spoke to Sunday Sun claimed they were on the camp only to take some snapshots in NYSC kit which they also claimed they got from friends.

One of them, Stella Imaji Ogar said she was withdrawn from school, but needed pictures to prove to her sponsors she had graduated. Also, Matilda Okon Ekrang from Ikot Ekpene Polytechnic in Akwa Ibom said she had paid the sum of N10, 000 to a member of a syndicate she simply called Victor whom she said is not an NYSC official and told her how to get to camp. She said she needed to get photographs to convince her uncle, 'because my programme is a consultancy programme and we don't go for youth service, but he insisted I must show him an evidence of national service.'

She, however, said she could not explain how they all came into the camp on the same day. 'I was at the camp on my own, but later I met some of them who happened to come from my school', she explained. One of the suspects, Itoro Etim Udo from the same polytechnic, fainted immediately they were rounded up. She was immediately rushed to the camp clinic for medical attention.

They have been handed over to the police. The Police Public Relations Officer, Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Aminu Lawal could not be reached to comment on the case at the time of filling this report.