Loading ...ABUJA — Operatives of Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies have intercepted the immediate-past Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, ending a weeks-long intelligence manhunt over massive academic fraud allegations.
The high-profile politician, who recently emerged as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 elections in Enugu State, was arrested on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. Security sources confirmed he was apprehended while attempting to board a chartered flight bound for Abuja.
The Net Closes In Following Judicial Mandate
Authoritative airport and security sources confirmed that Mr. Nnaji is currently being processed for immediate transfer to the Abuja headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for intensive interrogation.
The dramatic arrest comes exactly two weeks after a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, issued an explicit bench warrant ordering law enforcement agencies to track, arrest, and detain the former minister. The court had also granted the anti-graft agency statutory leave to declare him wanted across national dailies and digital platforms after he repeatedly snubbed official investigative invitations sent via phone, email, and WhatsApp.
The Core Contradiction: Forged Degrees and Cabinet Screening
The criminal case stems from a detailed, multi-year investigation revealing that Mr. Nnaji systematically fabricated his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Bachelor’s degree and his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificates.
These fraudulent documents were directly submitted to President Bola Tinubu, the State Security Service (SSS), and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation screening exercises in 2023. Following the public unmasking of the fake credentials, Nnaji was forced to resign his cabinet position just days after the evidence came to light.
While institutional responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from both UNN and the NYSC directorate formally disowned the certificates, Nnaji initially launched an aggressive public relations defense and filed lawsuits to block the release of his academic records, claiming he was the target of a “sponsored media trial”.
Legal Desperation and the Political Undercurrents
Prior to his arrest on Wednesday, Nnaji’s legal team had scrambled to the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge the Federal High Court’s arrest warrant.
Through his media camp, the former minister has consistently maintained that he was not evading justice. His handlers argue that the forgery matrix is a highly coordinated political hit job engineered by detractors to derail his 2027 gubernatorial ambitions in Enugu State, where he is running under a prominent PDP faction.
With his physical custody now secured by state agents, the ICPC is expected to formally arraign the former minister on criminal charges revolving around perjury, the presentation of forged documents, abuse of office, and impersonation.
