Former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has been taken into custody at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Nnaji was arrested on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, shortly after arriving from Enugu aboard a chartered flight.
The former minister has remained under investigation by the ICPC since stepping down from office in 2025 over allegations that he forged his academic certificates.
In June 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja directed the ICPC to arrest Nnaji as part of its investigation into the alleged certificate forgery.
The former minister is being investigated over claims that he falsified his academic qualifications and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) credentials during the 2023 ministerial screening process.
The court also authorised the ICPC to declare the former minister wanted through national newspapers, social media platforms, and other media outlets.
According to the commission, the ex parte application became necessary after the former minister repeatedly failed to honour invitations for “investigative activities.”
It was earlier reported that Nnaji formally tendered his resignation as minister in a letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while the certificate forgery controversy was unfolding.
Separate investigations by two media organisations later alleged that Nnaji forged both his NYSC certificate and his university certificates.
According to Vanguard, the ICPC had not released an official statement confirming Nnaji’s arrest, while neither the former minister nor his representatives had issued any immediate response to the allegations as of the time this report was filed.
It will be recalled that Nnaji later challenged the court order authorising his arrest over the certificate forgery allegations. The Federal High Court in Abuja had previously issued a warrant for his arrest after considering an ex parte application submitted by the ICPC.
The allegations surrounding the alleged certificate forgery were widely reported to have prompted Nnaji’s resignation from President Tinubu’s administration.
