The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was on Wednesday arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, over the alleged forgery of his academic and National Youth Service Corps certificates.
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Nnaji was reportedly arrested shortly after arriving from Enugu aboard a chartered flight.
Airport sources said the former minister would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for interrogation.
The arrest followed an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja directing the ICPC to arrest Nnaji for investigation over the certificate forgery allegations.
The court had, in mid-June, also granted the anti-graft agency permission to declare him wanted through national newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels.
The ICPC had told the court that its ex parte application became necessary after Nnaji allegedly failed repeatedly to honour invitations extended to him for investigative activities.
The commission’s invitation followed investigations into allegations that the former minister submitted forged University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree and NYSC certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The documents were said to have been presented to President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and security agencies during the confirmation process.
Nnaji resigned from office last year after the certificate scandal became public.
He had initially denied wrongdoing and also disputed reports of the court order against him, describing the matter as a “media trial.”
However, he later admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, never issued him a degree certificate.
Following the Federal High Court’s order, Nnaji filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on June 18, challenging the order directing his arrest.
The ICPC is expected to interrogate him over the circumstances surrounding the disputed certificates and his alleged failure to honour previous invitations by the commission.
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