The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has launched a search for former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji after he failed to honor repeated invitations over an alleged certificate forgery case that has shadowed him for months. The commission is now trying to locate him for interrogation as its investigation into the claims moves forward.
The case centers on allegations that Nnaji forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree and National Youth Service Corps certificate, documents that were submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023. PREMIUM TIMES reported in October last year that its two-year investigation had traced the dispute to those credentials, and the ICPC has since advanced its own probe.
For readers asking why the case has resurfaced now, the answer is simple: the commission is no longer just reviewing papers, it is trying to get Nnaji in a room. Reliable sources said the ICPC reached out through WhatsApp, email and phone for scheduled interrogations, but he did not show up. One source said the commission is looking for him everywhere and may declare him wanted if it cannot find him.
The refusal to appear has also fueled a sharper suspicion inside the investigation. A source said Nnaji’s decision to ignore the invitations was tied to a strategy of keeping out of reach in the hope of benefiting from immunity from criminal prosecution if he wins the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State. He quietly moved from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party after an unsuccessful 2023 governorship run, and in late May he emerged as the governorship candidate of the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP faction ahead of the next election.
Robert Ngwu, who was contacted for comment, did not respond to multiple calls. He received and read a WhatsApp enquiry on Monday but had not replied by Tuesday morning, leaving the commission’s next step unresolved. If Nnaji remains out of reach, the ICPC is likely to escalate the case further, and a declaration that he is wanted would turn an administrative probe into a much more public confrontation.
