By Innocent Anaba

Lagos—The Citizens Advocacy Initiative for Accountable Leadership, CAIFAL, has dragged the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over alleged mobilisation fraud.

Also joined as respondents in the suit are Director General of NYSC, Sidmach Technologies Ltd, Minister for Youths and Sports, and the Attorney General of the Federation.

CAIFAL in the suit is praying the court to declare that by virtue of the provisions of the NYSC Act 1993, the first to third respondents have no statutory rights to demand a pre-mobilisation fee from prospective corps members.

In an affidavit deposed to by one Mr Mike Ogie, in support of the suit, the group averred that in 2014, NYSC introduced an electronic registration programme, where prospective corps members were required to register online with the sum of N3,000 as precedents for mobilisation.

It added that the NYSC entered into a memorandum of understanding with a company, Sidmach Technologies, to collect the fees on behalf of the NYSC, through the issuance of scratch cards to prospective corps members and under the memorandum, 70 percent of the money collected, would be ceded to the company (Sidmachy), while the balance of 30 percent was reserved for the NYSC.