Just days after insisting he was neither hiding nor evading authorities, former Minister of Science and Technology Uche Nnaji was arrested as he stepped off a chartered flight in Abuja.
Security operatives apprehended Nnaji on Wednesday, July 2, 2026, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, upon his arrival from Enugu.
Sources familiar with the development said he is expected to be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for formal interrogation.
The arrest caps months of mounting pressure on the former minister.
Nnaji resigned from the cabinet in 2025 after investigations surfaced evidence that he allegedly forged his academic certificates — a disclosure that ended his tenure and triggered an ICPC inquiry into his conduct. The commission has been pursuing him since then.
Despite that backdrop, Nnaji went public in the days before his arrest to deny a recent Premium Times report alleging that a court had issued an order connected to the ICPC investigation.
He insisted at the time that he was not in hiding and was not evading law enforcement.
His arrest on arrival at the airport on Wednesday directly contradicted that narrative.
What the ICPC Investigation Covers and What Comes Next
The ICPC was established under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act of 2000 to investigate and prosecute public officials for corruption, including fraud and the use of forged documents to obtain public office.
Under Nigerian law, presenting forged credentials to secure a government appointment constitutes a criminal offence carrying serious penalties.
Nnaji served as Minister of Science and Technology under President Bola Tinubu‘s administration after his appointment in 2023.
His resignation in 2025, following the certificate controversy, preceded the full weight of the ICPC’s attention turning toward him.
It remains to be seen whether Nnaji will be formally charged following his handover to the commission, or whether Wednesday’s arrest marks the beginning of a longer investigative process.
Neither the ICPC nor Nnaji’s representatives had issued an official statement at press time.
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