Immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has reportedly been arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu while preparing to board a chartered flight to Abuja.
According to reports, the former minister was taken into custody on Wednesday morning and is expected to be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for questioning over allegations of certificate forgery.
The arrest follows an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court, which reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji after the commission alleged that he repeatedly ignored invitations for questioning. The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media and other communication channels.
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The allegations stem from an investigative report published by Premium Times in October last year, which claimed that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
According to the report, the documents were allegedly presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The publication further alleged that Nnaji later admitted that the University of Nigeria did not issue the degree certificate in question, a development said to have supported the findings of the investigation.
Nnaji had previously dismissed reports of the court order authorising his arrest, describing them as a “media trial.” However, on June 18, he reportedly approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the arrest, while the former minister’s legal representatives had yet to respond publicly to the development.
