Court Orders Arrest Of Ex-Minister Uche Nnaji Over ‘Certificate Forgery’

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.

This comes following an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The court granted the request on Thursday after considering an ex parte motion submitted by the anti-corruption agency in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026.

President Bola Tinubu appointed Nnaji as a minister in August 2023.

He later resigned from office after allegations surfaced that he submitted forged academic certificates and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) documents during his ministerial screening and confirmation.

The ICPC told the court that Nnaji failed to respond to several invitations issued to him as part of its investigation into the alleged certificate forgery.

The commission’s application, dated June 3 and filed on June 4, was supported by an affidavit sworn by one David Nelson.

During the hearing, ICPC lawyer Osuobeni Akponimisingha asked the court to approve an arrest warrant and also allow the commission to declare the former minister wanted through newspapers, social media, and other communication channels.

The anti-corruption agency further requested that its officers, other law enforcement agencies, or even private citizens be authorised to identify and arrest Nnaji before handing him over to the commission for investigation.

The court granted all the requests made by the ICPC and ruled that the arrest warrant would remain in effect until the former minister is taken into custody.

KanyiDaily recalls that Uche Nnaji recently emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Enugu State.