Former Minister Uche Nnaji Arrested at Abuja Airport on Certificate Forgery Allegations, Appeals Court Warrant

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission arrested former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on or about July 2, 2026. The arrest followed a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court after the ICPC reported that Nnaji had repeatedly ignored invitations for questioning.

The charges center on allegations that Nnaji submitted a forged University of Nigeria degree certificate and a forged NYSC discharge certificate during his 2023 ministerial screening.

A two-year Premium Times investigation published in October 2025 found that Nnaji was admitted to study Microbiology/Biochemistry at UNN in the 1981/82 session but failed a compulsory Virology course and never received a degree. The same investigation confirmed the NYSC certificate was forged. Nnaji resigned from his ministerial post three days after the October 2025 report appeared.

A federal government panel later reviewed UNN records and reached the same conclusion that he had not graduated. Nnaji initially denied the existence of the arrest warrant but later appealed the court's decision. A group of lawyers led by Liborous Oshoma held a press conference in Lagos on July 6, 2026, and called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure the investigation proceeds without interference from powerful individuals.

The lawyers cited correspondences between Nnaji and the UNN registry from November 1985 to May 1986, including a handwritten request to retake the failed Virology course. They also pointed to inconsistencies in the NYSC certificate, including service dates that predated his claimed graduation and a signature from a director-general no longer in office at the time.