‘He refused to honour invitations,’ ICPC confirms arrest, detainment of Tinubu’s ex-minister in alleged certificate forgery mess
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed the arrest of Uche Nnaji, former minister of science, technology and innovation.
Nnaji was arrested on Wednesday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The ex-minister was subsequently handed over to the ICPC.
Providing an update on the arrest, Okor Odey, ICPC’s spokesperson, said in a statement that the commission sent invitation letters to the former minister through multiple channels, including his residential addresses in Abuja and Enugu.
Odey said despite being served through multiple channels, Nnaji failed to honour the invitations.
The ICPC spokesperson said the federal high court in Abuja had issued a bench warrant against Nnaji to enable the commission to investigate allegations of certificate forgery.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address,” the statement reads.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN);
“False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
In October 2025, Nnaji resigned as minister following allegations of certificate forgery.
Before his resignation, Nnaji came under scrutiny over claims that he forged the credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the senate during his ministerial confirmation process.
An investigation by Premium Times revealed that Nnaji did not complete his university education and that both the bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he presented to the president, as well as to the offices of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the DSS, and the senate, were forged.
