Fresh details have emerged on the arrest of former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, confirming that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) apprehended him at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, before handing him over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of certificate forgery.
The former minister was arrested on Wednesday morning as he was about to board a private jet to Abuja, according to a trusted security source familiar with the operation.
The source disclosed that the DSS carried out the arrest at the request of the ICPC, which is investigating Nnaji over allegations that he forged academic credentials submitted during his ministerial nomination and confirmation process.
According to the source, Nnaji, who resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet in October 2025 amid the controversy surrounding the allegations, was subsequently handed over to the anti-graft agency for further interrogation.
The latest development comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC leave to arrest and investigate the former minister after the commission alleged that he repeatedly ignored several invitations to appear before its investigators.
The court also reportedly authorised the commission to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels following its claim that he failed to honour repeated invitations.
The allegations stem from an investigative report published by Premium Times in October 2025, which claimed that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates during his screening and confirmation as minister in 2023.
According to the report, the disputed documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service as part of the ministerial appointment process.
The publication further alleged that Nnaji later admitted that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a claim it said supported the findings of its investigation.
The former minister had consistently denied wrongdoing and previously dismissed reports of the court order authorising his arrest as a “media trial.”
On June 18, 2026, he reportedly approached the Court of Appeal seeking to set aside the order granting the ICPC powers to arrest and investigate him.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had yet to issue an official statement on the arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had not publicly commented on the latest development.
