The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has obtained a court warrant to detain former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, for an initial period of 14 days following his arrest over an alleged certificate forgery scandal.
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The remand warrant is expected to allow the anti-graft agency to hold the former minister in custody for interrogation in the first instance, with the possibility of applying for an extension if investigators require more time.
Nnaji was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu aboard a chartered flight.
He was subsequently handed over to the ICPC.
The Commission later confirmed his arrest in a statement by its spokesperson, John Odey, who said the operation was carried out with the assistance of operatives of the State Security Service.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the State Security Services and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation,” Odey said.
“Following the arrest, Mr Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue.
“The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
According to the ICPC, the arrest followed an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, authorising the Commission to arrest the former minister after he allegedly failed to honour repeated invitations for questioning.
The Commission said it had invited Nnaji for investigation over allegations bordering on the forgery of academic credentials, including a degree certificate purportedly issued by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate allegedly submitted during his ministerial screening in 2023.
The ICPC said the former minister failed to appear for investigative interviews despite formal invitations served on his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as through his electronic mail address.
The arrest order was earlier granted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026.
The court had also authorised the ICPC to declare Nnaji wanted through national newspapers, social media platforms and other media if necessary, and directed law enforcement agents to arrest him and hand him over to the Commission for investigation.
Nnaji had, however, denied that he was evading investigation or that any valid arrest order existed against him.
Despite the denial, he later filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on June 18, challenging the arrest order.
The certificate controversy dates back to reports alleging that Nnaji submitted questionable academic credentials to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023.
The former minister had claimed that he obtained a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he said he graduated in 1985.
However, reports said the university, in response to enquiries, indicated that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he did not graduate and was not issued the certificate in his possession.
The National Youth Service Corps was also reported to have disowned the discharge certificate linked to him.
Before the academic records became public, Nnaji had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop UNN, its vice-chancellor and other university authorities from releasing his academic records.
The defendants in the suit included UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission, the university’s registrar, former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oguejiofo Ujam, and the university’s Senate.
Nnaji later applied for an out-of-court settlement in the matter.
The former minister resigned from office after the certificate allegations became public, although he has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The controversy has continued to attract public calls for prosecution, with critics arguing that resignation was not enough where forged credentials were allegedly submitted for a federal appointment.
In March, an investigative panel reportedly set up by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, was said to have found that Nnaji forged both his degree and NYSC certificates.
The matter has also assumed a political dimension following reports that Nnaji moved from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party and later emerged as governorship candidate of a faction of the PDP in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 election.
For now, the former minister remains in ICPC custody under a court-backed remand warrant, while investigators continue their probe into the alleged forgery of his UNN degree and NYSC certificates.
The ICPC said it would pursue the matter diligently and in accordance with the law.
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