The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to file a response in an ongoing legal battle over records of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) participation.
The directive followed a dispute over whether the minister should be joined in a case instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of Pathway to Equity and Charity Foundation, TVC News reported.
The foundation is asking the court to compel the NYSC and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to release documents that could establish the details of Tunji-Ojo’s national service. The requested records include his mobilisation and posting letters, attendance details, allowance payments, Community Development Service records and discharge certificate.
The organisation’s chairman, Uchenna Ejimafor, alleged in an affidavit that the foundation’s investigation raised questions about the minister’s claim to have completed his mandatory service and undertaken his primary assignment with the FCTA. The group said it had sought the documents through its solicitors but was unable to obtain them, prompting the court action under the Freedom of Information Act.
During the proceedings, the minister’s lawyer, Abiola Olaniji, told the court that Tunji-Ojo wanted to participate in the case as an interested party. He sought additional time to respond to a counter-affidavit filed against the application to join the proceedings. The foundation’s counsel, Solomon Akuma (SAN), opposed the move, maintaining that the suit concerned records held by the relevant government agencies, not the minister.
Justice Salim Ibrahim directed Tunji-Ojo to file and serve his response before the next hearing. The case comes amid questions surrounding the minister’s service history following an NYSC letter dated August 8, 2023. The agency stated that he was mobilised in 2006 and deployed to the FCT but subsequently absconded before resurfacing in 2019, when he was remobilised and posted to the Federal Capital Development Authority. The NYSC said his discharge certificate was produced on February 28, 2023, after an application for its issuance.
