NSCDC FCT command denies allegations of illegal detention, extortion
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Federal Capital Territory Command has dismissed allegations of unlawful detention of suspects and demands for money for their release, describing the claims as
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Federal Capital Territory Command has dismissed allegations of unlawful detention of suspects and demands for money for their release, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The Command said there was no truth in the allegations published by SaharaReporters in what it described as exclusive reports.
Commandant of the FCT Command, Olusola Odumosu, stated that the allegations were malicious, misleading, and entirely unfounded.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Odumosu said the individual behind the allegations, Mr. Chimezie Otuojo, who is currently on administrative bail, had resorted to blackmail in an attempt to divert attention from accusations of threat to life levelled against him by his neighbour.
Odumosu said the online publication alleged that the Corps “held an NYSC member for 65 days without trial over private lessons in an Abuja school, demanded ₦1.4 million as Commandant’s fee, and detained a 69-year-old man for 89 days while demanding ₦10 million for his release.”
He explained that the individual identified as Joseph Nanmwa Philips was not a legitimate corps member but an impostor who allegedly obtained more than ₦1.3 million from parents under false pretences.
According to the Commandant, Philips allegedly forged a call-up letter from the National Youth Service Corps to secure placement at International Model Science Academy in Kwali, where he claimed to be undertaking his primary assignment.
He said the suspect also told parents that he was facilitating scholarship opportunities for students at University of Cambridge, a claim the Corps said was used to fraudulently obtain over ₦1.3 million from them.
Odumosu maintained that the Corps acted within the law and reiterated its commitment to professionalism and due process in handling criminal matters.
Odumosu said, "The alleged suspect, Joseph Nanmwa Philips, 27 years of age, 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, a subsidiary of the National Mathematical Centre, Kwali, for his primary assignment.
"The self-acclaimed NYSC member, Joseph Nanmwa Philips, was arrested by our Kwali Division on Friday, 6th February, 2026, following complaints bordering on forgery, hacking, and impersonation of the leadership of the National Mathematical Centre, Kwali, where he was observing his Place of Primary Assignment (Under false pretence of being a corps member) on social media.
"Upon preliminary investigation, he was transferred to the FCT Command for further investigation on Monday, 9th February 2026.
"Guided by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, he was interrogated, a statement obtained, and was issued a grant of bail on the same day (9th February, 2026), but was unable to meet his bail condition as no credible surety has come forth for him.
"However, 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 as stipulated by law to justify holding him in our facility while the investigation continues. The remand order was issued by the Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja.
"Contrary to the falsehood being spread by Chimezie through SaharaReporters on the alleged demand for money by the Command for his release, the published sum was the amount of money fraudulently collected from some parents, which the suspect was meant to refund to them, as our Investigation revealed. The sum of N1.3m had been fraudulently collected from different parents by the suspect. This is what Chimezie, who once shared a facility with the suspect, has decided to weaponize against the Command."
The Commandant said the NYSC, Abuja, had issued a disclaimer on Philips, categorically stating that he is unknown to them, and describing his call-up letter as fake.
On the allegations that a 69-year-old man was detained illegally for 89 days, while a request of 10million naira was made for his freedom, Odumosu dismissed the allegation as a figment of the imagination of the writers.
He said, "The matter in question originated from a formal complaint lodged by TroBell Minerals Ltd, alleging Criminal Breach of Trust and Obtaining by False Pretence involving the sum of two hundred and seventeen million (₦217,000,000), and following a thorough investigation, the suspect was charged before the Federal High Court.
"Contrary to the claims in the publication, the suspect was not detained for 89 days as alleged. His custody was carried out in line with the law and pursuant to a valid remand order issued by a competent court of jurisdiction.
"Furthermore, the allegations that nine (9) suspects in connection with the case paid N1million each before they were granted bail and officers demanding a “Commandant’s fee” of ten million naira (₦10,000,000) for the suspect’s release are entirely false, unfounded, and concocted without any credible evidence."
Odumosu said his Command remained committed to professionalism, due process, and the rule of law and called on Nigerians to disregard the misleading publication in its totality.
