A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who has been held in detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abuja for more than 70 days has allegedly lost his left eye after being assaulted while in custody, Bellnews has learned.
The corps member, identified as Joseph Phillip from Plateau State, was serving as a Mathematics and Physics teacher at the International Model Science Academy located within the National Mathematical Centre in Sheda, Kwali Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria, when he was arrested following a dispute with the school’s proprietor.
Sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that Phillip was accused by the school owner of fraud after he organised extra coaching classes for students preparing for scholarship examinations without the proprietor’s approval.
The disagreement reportedly escalated when the proprietor alerted NSCDC officials, leading to Phillip’s arrest by officers at the agency’s Kwali division before he was transferred to the Intelligence and Investigation Unit of the NSCDC command in Abuja.
A source who was previously detained in the same facility and later released told Bellnews that Phillip had already spent about 65 days in custody at the time without being charged before a court.
According to the source, NSCDC officials allegedly demanded ₦1.3 million from the corps member as a condition for his release, alongside an additional ₦120,000 described as a “commandant’s service charge.”
The source added that Phillip’s health deteriorated during his detention and that he was not provided with adequate food while in custody.
Bellnews had earlier published a report on the alleged illegal detention, prompting the NSCDC’s Federal Capital Territory command to threaten legal action against the media platform while denying the allegations.
Responding to the report, the FCT Commandant of the NSCDC claimed that Phillip was not a legitimate NYSC member but an impostor who allegedly forged his call-up letter to secure placement at the International Model Science Academy.
According to the commandant, Phillip was arrested on February 6, 2026, by officers of the NSCDC Kwali Division following complaints of forgery, hacking, and impersonation involving the leadership of the National Mathematical Centre on social media.
The commandant said the suspect was subsequently transferred to the FCT command headquarters for further investigation.
“Guided by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, he was interrogated and granted bail the same day, February 9, 2026, but could not meet the bail conditions as no credible surety came forward for him,” the commandant said.
He further claimed that the command later approached a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, which issued a remand order allowing the suspect to remain in custody pending the conclusion of investigations.
Addressing the alleged demand for over N1 million, the NSCDC said the money was not a bribe but the amount the suspect allegedly collected fraudulently from parents and was expected to refund.
According to the agency, preliminary investigations indicated that Phillip had collected about ₦1.3 million from several parents under the pretext of registering their children for a Cambridge University scholarship programme.
Investigators also alleged that Phillip cloned multiple Cambridge University email addresses and sent fabricated confirmation messages to parents, while collecting additional funds for extra lessons and study materials for the supposed scholarship examination.
However, Bellnews’ further investigation revealed that Phillip was not a fake corps member as claimed by the NSCDC.
According to findings, his NYSC call-up number, NYSC/ATBU/2025/245322, was verified by officials of the NYSC, who confirmed to SaharaReporters that the number was genuine and not forged.
An insider source told Bellnews that Phillip was labelled a fake corps member after he allegedly refused to present his identification card to NSCDC officials during the early stage of his detention.
The source said the situation escalated afterward.
“He refused to allow them see his ID from day one. That gave the momentum to pronounce him fake corper,” a source said.
“Now he can’t see with his left eye anymore as a result of assault by the IPO.”
Phillip has now reportedly spent more than 70 days in detention as concerns continue to mount over his health and the circumstances surrounding his arrest and continued custody by the NSCDC.