Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has finally begun a manhunt for former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over an ongoing certificate forgery scandal.
The anti-graft agency has been investigating Nnaji for some
time. According to Premium Times, that the former minister could face
prosecution if the probe confirmed that he indeed forged his academic
credentials.
The ICPC's investigation followed a painstaking two-year
inquiry published in October last year, which revealed that Nnaji submitted
forged UNN degree and NYSC certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the
Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation hearing in 2023.
An insider told the publication that the commission has now
intensified its probe into the forgery allegations against the former minister.
Sources familiar with the matter told this newspaper that the ICPC's search for
Nnaji came after he repeatedly failed to honour invitations sent by the agency
regarding the scandal.
One insider, who requested anonymity because he was not
authorised to speak publicly, said UNN management has already responded to the
ICPC's enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation. He said Nnaji had been
invited multiple times for questioning.
The source said the ICPC extended invitations to Nnaji
through WhatsApp, email, and phone calls for scheduled interrogations, but the
former minister has consistently failed to appear. "The ICPC is looking
for him everywhere to possibly arrest him, and if we can't find him, we will
most likely declare him wanted," the source told the newspaper.
Another source informed this publication that Nnaji's
refusal to respond to ICPC invitations may be based on a strategy of hiding in
the hope of enjoying immunity from criminal prosecution if he wins the 2027
governorship election in Enugu State.
This newspaper earlier reported that the former minister
quietly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party from the ruling All
Progressives Congress, under which he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Enugu
State in 2023
In late May, Nnaji emerged as the governorship candidate of
the PDP faction backed by Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 general election. This
publication earlier reported exclusively that Nnaji was desperate to become
governor, in part, to gain immunity from prosecution if he wins the poll.
Robert Ngwu, the special adviser on media to Nnaji, did not
respond to multiple calls seeking comment since Monday. Ngwu received and read
an enquiry forwarded to him via WhatsApp on Monday but had yet to respond as of
Tuesday morning.
In October 2023, this newspaper began investigating Nnaji's
academic records. The then-minister had submitted a degree and NYSC
certificates to President Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial
confirmation in 2023, claiming he obtained a degree certificate from UNN where
he purportedly graduated in 1985.
Disturbed by the scrutiny, Nnaji filed a suit at the Federal
High Court in Abuja to block UNN and its vice-chancellor, Professor Simon
Ortuanya, from releasing his academic records. The minister of education, the
National Universities Commission, the university's registrar, its former acting
vice-chancellor Professor Oguejiofor Ujam, and the university's senate were
also listed as defendants. However, the politician recently applied for an
out-of-court settlement through his legal team.
Before Nnaji could obtain an injunction from the court,
Ortuanya had responded to a Freedom of Information letter, confirming that
Nnaji had forged his UNN degree certificate. The UNN registrar later
corroborated this position, stating that although Nnaji was admitted to the
university in 1981, he never graduated nor received any certificate.
In response to a separate FOI letter, NYSC authorities
disowned the discharge certificate the former minister possessed. Nnaji
resigned as minister three days after this newspaper published its
investigation exposing his forged credentials. Many Nigerians had called for
his prosecution, arguing that his resignation was insufficient given his
violations of various Nigerian laws, including the Criminal Code Act.
Earlier this year, legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma
criticised the Nigerian government for failing to prosecute Nnaji over the
certificate forgery scandal, stating that people like the former minister
"should be prosecuted and banned from holding public office to serve as a
deterrent to others."
In March, this publication also exclusively reported that an
investigative panel set up by Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa,
found that Nnaji indeed forged his degree and NYSC certificates.
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