By Chinedu Echianu
Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after arriving from Enugu aboard a chartered flight.
Premium Times while quoting authoritative airport sources confirmed the arrest, stating that Nnaji is expected to be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation over allegations of certificate forgery.
The arrest follows a Federal High Court order issued in Abuja in mid-June, directing the ICPC to arrest the former minister as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged forgery of his academic credentials.
The court also granted the anti-corruption agency permission to declare Nnaji wanted through national newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after he allegedly failed to honour several invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its ex parte application was necessitated by the former minister’s repeated refusal to appear before investigators despite multiple invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The investigation stems from a two-year probe that alleged Nnaji forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
The documents were said to have been submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Senate during Nnaji’s ministerial screening and confirmation in 2023. The same certificates were also said to have been presented to the Department of State Services.
The former minister later admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, did not issue him a degree certificate, an admission that further intensified scrutiny of the allegations.
Nnaji had previously dismissed reports of the court order authorising his arrest, describing them as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, challenging the Federal High Court’s decision authorising his arrest and investigation.
The ICPC has yet to issue an official statement on Wednesday’s arrest.
