ICPC arrests ex-minister Uche Nnaji at Abuja airport over alleged certificate forgery after court issued bench warrant.
It was a quiet Tuesday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Then operatives moved in.
Former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, was picked up shortly after stepping off a chartered flight in Abuja on July 1. Sources say he is being handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for questioning.
This arrest did not come from nowhere. The ICPC has been on his trail since last year, after a Premium Times investigation raised serious questions about his academic credentials.
The heart of the case is forgery. The commission alleges Nnaji submitted a forged University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree and a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate during his ministerial screening in 2023. Those same documents, investigators say, were also presented to the Presidency, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the State Security Service.
Nnaji, who resigned in August 2023 amid the growing scandal, has repeatedly failed to honour ICPC invitations for what the agency calls "investigative activities." That refusal pushed the commission to court.
A Federal High Court in Abuja granted the ICPC's request, issuing a bench warrant for his arrest. The court also gave the agency leave to declare him wanted in national newspapers and on social media until he is apprehended.
The allegations are weighty — certificate forgery, abuse of office, and obtaining ministerial appointment by false pretence. UNN itself has since sanctioned a senior official for issuing a false document claiming Nnaji graduated, after an internal panel confirmed the degree certificate was forged.
Nnaji has denied wrongdoing, calling the reports a "media trial" and insisting he remains available to authorities. His legal team previously pushed for an out-of-court settlement, but the ICPC pressed ahead.
With Tuesday's arrest, the former minister will now face direct interrogation. If the forgery is proven, he could face prosecution and a permanent ban from public office.
For now, the ICPC says the investigation continues. And for Nnaji, the long-running certificate saga has finally caught up with him at the airport.
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