Court issues arrest warrant for ex-minister Uche Nnaji over ‘certificate forgery’
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a warrant of arrest against Uche Nnaji, a former minister of innovation, science and technology.
In a ruling on Thursday, a federal high court in Abuja granted the order for arrest following an ex parte motion filed by the ICPC in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Nnaji as minister in August 2023.
Nnaji resigned as minister following allegations that he forged the academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) credentials submitted during his ministerial screening and confirmation process.
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 election.
