Saturday, June 13, 2026 - The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has obtained a warrant for the arrest of Uche Nnaji, a former minister of innovation, science and technology.
A federal high court in Abuja granted the arrest order
following an ex parte motion filed by the ICPC in a suit marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026. President Bola Tinubu had appointed Nnaji as a minister
in August 2023. He resigned after allegations surfaced that he had forged the
academic and National Youth Service Corps credentials he submitted during his
ministerial screening and confirmation process.
The ICPC's ex parte motion, dated June 3 and filed on June
4, included an affidavit sworn by a David Nelson. ICPC counsel Osuobeni
Akponimisingha told the court that the motion was prompted by Nnaji's repeated
refusal to honour invitations from the commission as part of its investigation
into the certificate forgery allegations.
Akponimisingha asked the court to issue an order allowing
the commission to declare Nnaji wanted in any national newspaper, on social
media platforms, or through other media for "failing to honour the
commission's invitations for investigation activities."
The commission also requested a bench warrant directing its
operatives, other law enforcement agents, or even private citizens to locate
and arrest Nnaji and hand him over to the ICPC for questioning. It further
appealed for any additional orders the court might consider appropriate under
the circumstances.
The court granted all the requested orders. It also ruled
that the warrant would remain in effect only until the former minister is
arrested. Nnaji recently emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party in Enugu State for the 2027 elections.
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