ICPC secures 14-day remand warrant to detain ex-Minister Uche Nnaji over certificate forgery

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has obtained a court warrant to detain former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, for an initial 14 days, following his arrest on Wednesday over a certificate forgery scandal.

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An official at the commission told PREMIUM TIMES that the remand warrant would allow the ICPC to hold Mr Nnaji for interrogation in the first instance, with the possibility of a further extension.

Mr Nnaji was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu aboard a chartered flight, and was subsequently handed over to the ICPC.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported the arrest, citing authoritative sources at the airport.

The ICPC later confirmed the arrest in a statement by its spokesperson, John Odey.

This newspaper, in early June, exclusively reported that the ICPC had launched a manhunt for Mr Nnaji after the former minister failed to honour invitations extended to him by the anti-graft agency.

The ICPC’s invitation followed a two-year investigation published by PREMIUM TIMES in October last year, which revealed that the then-minister forged his UNN degree and NYSC certificates, which he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023.

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Meanwhile, this newspaper exclusively reported in mid June that a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the ICPC to arrest Mr Nnaji for investigation into his certificate forgery scandal. But the former minister, despite consistently denying the existence of the arrest order, filed an appeal against the order on 18 June at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

In the Wednesday statement, Mr Odey said the ICPC, assisted by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), arrested Mr Nnaji at the Abuja airport.

“He was apprehended with the assistance of the State Security Services (SSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.

“Following the arrest, Mr Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue,” he said.

“The commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”

The ICPC spokesperson explained that Mr Nnaji’s arrest followed a Federal High Court ruling ordering his arrest.

He said the anti-graft agency sought the court order because the former repeatedly ignored multiple invitations from the commission.

Mr Odey said the ICPC repeatedly invited Mr Nnaji for questioning concerning his certificate forgery scandal.

He noted that, apart from the UNN degree certificate, the former minister was invited to answer questions about the alleged forgery of his NYSC discharge certificate, which he submitted during his ministerial screening in 2023.

Background

In October 2023, PREMIUM TIMES began investigating Mr Nnaji’s academic records.

The then-minister had submitted a degree certificate and an NYSC discharge certificate to President Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023. He claimed he obtained the degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he purportedly graduated in 1985.

Apparently disturbed by the scrutiny, Mr Nnaji filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to block UNN and its vice-chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, a professor, from releasing his academic records. Other defendants listed in the suit included the minister of education, the National Universities Commission, the university’s registrar, its former acting vice-chancellor, Oguejiofo Ujam, a professor, and the university’s Senate. However, the politician, through his legal team, recently applied for an out-of-court settlement.

Before the then-minister could obtain an injunction from the court, Mr Ortuanya had responded to a Freedom of Information (FOI) letter from PREMIUM TIMES, confirming that Mr Nnaji had forged his UNN degree certificate.

The UNN registrar would shortly thereafter corroborate Mr Ortuanya’s position, indicating that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to the university in 1981, he neither graduated nor was issued a certificate. NYSC authorities, in response to a separate FOI letter from PREMIUM TIMES, disowned the discharge certificate in the then-minister’s possession.

Mr Nnaji resigned as minister three days after this newspaper published the investigation. Many Nigerians called for his prosecution, maintaining that his resignation was inadequate given his violations of various Nigerian laws, including the Criminal Code Act.

Earlier this year, a legal practitioner, Liborous Oshoma, criticised the Nigerian government for failing to prosecute Mr Nnaji over the certificate forgery scandal, maintaining that people like the former minister “should be prosecuted and banned from holding public office to serve as a deterrent to others.”

READ ALSO: How we arrested ex-Minister Uche Nnaji – ICPC

Meanwhile, in March, this newspaper exclusively reported that an investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, found that Mr Nnaji had indeed forged his degree and NYSC certificates.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the former minister “quietly” moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), under which he unsuccessfully contested the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State. In late May, Mr Nnaji emerged as the governorship candidate of the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP faction ahead of the 2027 general election.

Within the same period, this newspaper also reported that Mr Nnaji sought to become governor, partly to enjoy immunity from prosecution that would be guaranteed if he wins and is sworn in as governor.