ICPC arrests ex-minister Uche Nnaji over certificate forgery allegations

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed the arrest of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over allegations of certificate forgery.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the commission’s Head of Media and Public Communications, Okor Odey, said Nnaji was arrested after the execution of a bench warrant issued by the federal high court.

According to the ICPC, the former minister was apprehended on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after arriving in the country. The commission said the arrest was carried out with the assistance of the State Security Service (SSS), after which he was handed over to the anti-graft agency for further investigation.

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The commission disclosed that it had previously invited Nnaji for questioning through a letter dated May 15, 2026, which was delivered to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as through his email address.

However, the ICPC said he failed to honour the invitations for investigative interviews despite being served through multiple channels, prompting the agency to seek legal action.

It said the Federal High Court Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026, granted an order on June 11, 2026, authorising his arrest to facilitate investigations into allegations that he forged academic credentials, including a degree certificate purportedly issued by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate allegedly submitted during his ministerial screening in 2023.

Following his arrest, Nnaji was taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are ongoing. The commission said it would pursue the matter diligently in accordance with the law.

The former minister resigned from office in October 2025 after reports alleged that he forged both his university degree certificate and NYSC discharge certificate.

While maintaining that he graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975, Nnaji insisted his resignation was not an admission of guilt but a decision taken to allow due process to run its course.

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“My decision to step aside is, therefore, a personal choice — not an admission of guilt, but rather a principled decision to respect the sanctity of due process and to preserve the integrity of the judicial proceedings currently before the court. In the end, justice will prevail, and history will vindicate the just,” he said in a statement announcing his resignation.

Premium Times reports revealed that Nnaji neither graduated in Microbiology/Biochemistry from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) nor concluded his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as he claimed.

The newspaper said it began investigating Mr Nnaji on October 2023 after President Tinubu named him among the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees from 25 states.

In the course of the investigation, Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof Simon U. Ortuanya, noted that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981, he did not gruaduate and was never awarded a degree. “We refer to your letter dated 29 September 2025 in respect of the above subject matter. We can confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was admitted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981,” the vice-chancellor wrote in response to Premium Times’ Freedom of Information request.

However, Nnaji alleged that the accusations against him were driven by political opponents, describing them as part of a coordinated campaign of falsehoods aimed at undermining his integrity and distracting from the work of the ministry and the administration.