Court issues arrest warrant for former minister Uche Nnaji over certificate forgery

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.