Court orders arrest of former minister Uche Nnaji over alleged certificate forgery

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has obtained a warrant for the arrest of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.

The order was granted on Thursday by a Federal High Court in Abuja after the anti-corruption agency filed an ex parte motion in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026.

Nnaji was appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu in August 2023.

He later stepped down from the position amid allegations that he submitted forged academic certificates and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) documents during his ministerial screening and confirmation process.

The court’s decision to issue the arrest warrant follows ongoing legal proceedings initiated by the ICPC in connection with the allegations. Further details of the case are expected to emerge as investigations continue.

The ICPC’s ex parte motion dated June 3 was filed on June 4, and attached was an affidavit deposed by one David Nelson.

Osuobeni Akponimisingha, ICPC counsel, told the court that the ex parte motion follows Nnaji’s refusal to honour invitations extended to him by the commission for investigation over certificate forgery allegations.

Akponimisingha prayed the court to issue an order allowing the commission to declare Nnaji wanted in any national newspaper, social media platforms, or other medium for “failing to honour the commission’s invitations for investigation activities”.

The commission also asked the court to give an order issuing a bench/warrant of arrest, directing operatives of the commission or other enforcement agents, including private citizens, to identify and arrest Nnaji and hand him over to the ICPC for investigation.

It also appealed to the court to grant any orders as it might deem fit in the circumstances.

The court granted all the orders sought.

The court further ruled that the order would lapse only upon the arrest of the former minister.

Nnaji recently emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu for the 2027 elections.

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