Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, over his alleged refusal to honour invitations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) investigating a long-running certificate forgery scandal. The warrant, which also authorised the ICPC to declare Nnaji wanted, came as the former minister was consolidating his position as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Enugu State in the 2027 elections.
The court granted the orders on Thursday, June 11, 2026, following an ex parte motion filed by the ICPC on June 4 in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026. ICPC counsel Osuobeni Akponimisingha told the court that the motion was necessitated by Nnaji’s repeated failure to honour invitations extended to him for investigative activities over the certificate forgery allegations. The ICPC also sought permission to declare the former minister wanted in any national newspaper, social media platforms or other media, and to issue a bench warrant directing operatives of the commission or other enforcement agents, including private citizens, to identify and arrest Nnaji and hand him over to the commission for investigation. The court granted all the orders sought, and ruled that the order would lapse only upon the arrest of the former minister.
The ICPC’s investigation into Nnaji’s certificate forgery scandal followed a painstaking two-year investigation published by PREMIUM TIMES in October 2025, which revealed that the then-minister forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates, which he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023. The ICPC’s ex parte motion was supported by an affidavit deposed by one David Nelson.
A copy of the court’s warrant of arrest showed that Nnaji is being investigated for alleged forgery, abuse of office and conferment of unfair advantage while serving as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The ICPC is expected to arraign Nnaji upon his arrest over the alleged offences.
Timeline Of The Scandal
Concerns about Nnaji’s credentials first surfaced shortly after President Tinubu nominated him for a ministerial position in July 2023. Media reports questioned the authenticity of the Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology which he claimed to have obtained from UNN. During his screening in August 2023, Nnaji presented copies of his academic and NYSC certificates to the Senate, indicating that he graduated from UNN in July 1985 and completed national service in April of the same year — a timeline critics described as inconsistent.
In May 2025, a letter from the UNN Registrar to the Public Complaints Commission stated that there was no record that the university issued a degree certificate to Nnaji in 1985. Responding to a Freedom of Information request in October 2025, UNN’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, reaffirmed that Nnaji did not complete his studies and that no certificate was issued to him by the university in 1985. Further investigation by PREMIUM TIMES uncovered internal university records showing that Nnaji had failed a virology course and wrote to the university in 1986 seeking permission to re-sit the exam — directly contradicting his claim of graduation in 1985.
Under growing pressure from the public and civil society organisations, Nnaji tendered his resignation letter to President Tinubu on October 7, 2025. In the letter, he maintained his innocence and blamed “political blackmail” for the controversy surrounding his credentials. The President accepted the resignation.
Political Ambitions And Immunity From Prosecution
The ICPC’s manhunt for Nnaji followed his alleged failure to honour invitations issued by the anti-graft agency regarding his forgery scandal. According to PREMIUM TIMES, the ICPC had sent invitations through WhatsApp, email and phone calls for scheduled interrogations, but Nnaji failed to appear. Sources said the ICPC launched a search for him, and if he could not be found, the commission would most likely declare him wanted.
Another source told PREMIUM TIMES that Nnaji’s refusal to honour the ICPC’s invitations was based on a strategy to continue hiding in the hope of enjoying immunity from criminal prosecution if he wins the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State. Nnaji had quietly moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP, under which he unsuccessfully contested the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State. In late May 2026, Nnaji emerged as the governorship candidate of a PDP faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general election, despite the ongoing certificate forgery investigation.
Nnaji polled 7,424 votes to defeat Mr. Samson Nnamani, who secured 600 votes in the PDP governorship primary election held in Enugu. In his acceptance speech, the former minister pledged to serve only one term in office if elected governor, and promised that his administration would reduce the suffering of Ndi Enugu by ensuring residents were not overburdened under the guise of tax collection.
The PDP Wike-backed faction’s decision to screen and clear Nnaji for the primaries was criticised by civil society organisations, including Defence for Democracy, who questioned the party’s commitment to integrity and good governance.
The court’s issuance of a bench warrant for Nnaji’s arrest has thrown his governorship ambition into jeopardy, as he now faces the immediate prospect of arrest and prosecution for alleged certificate forgery.
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