The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have both disowned the academic and national service credentials presented by the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, during his 2023 ministerial confirmation screening before the Senate. This revelation was made on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja by Yakubu Ibrahim, a Superintendent of Police and lead investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Testifying as the first prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Ibrahim detailed how the anti-graft agency launched a comprehensive investigation after receiving two formal petitions alleging certificate forgery against the former minister. Acting on directives from the Chairman of the ICPC Special Task Force, investigators dispatched letters of inquiry to the Clerk of the Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, UNN, and the NYSC headquarters to verify the authenticity of the documents submitted by Nnaji.
The official responses from both institutions dealt a severe blow to the former minister’s defense. UNN informed the commission that it did not issue the Bachelor of Science degree certificate in Microbiology and Biochemistry attributed to Nnaji, clarifying that under university regulations, students who failed to secure required passing grades after four attempts were ineligible for graduation. Similarly, the NYSC formally disowned the discharge certificate dated May 15, 1986, confirming that the document was never generated or issued by the scheme.
The prosecution, led by J. A. Mumini, SAN, has arraigned Nnaji on a six-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026, which encompasses offences bordering on certificate forgery, money laundering, conferring corrupt advantage, and providing false information under oath. In addition to the alleged forgery, the ICPC claims Nnaji fraudulently received approximately ₦29.58 million in official salaries and allowances during his ministerial tenure, describing the funds as proceeds of unlawful activity.
During a heated cross-examination, lead defense counsel Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, pressed the investigator on the mechanics of the inquiry. Under questioning, Ibrahim conceded that he had not physically visited the UNN campus during the investigation and could not pinpoint the precise location where the alleged forgery took place. Olanipekun further introduced documentation indicating that while UNN issued a withdrawal notice dated November 7, 1984, regarding a course in General Microbiology, the institution subsequently rescinded that order in an official letter dated March 18, 1985.
The witness acknowledged the existence of the March 1985 letter on record. Nnaji, who previously pleaded not guilty to all charges, remains out on a ₦20 million bail with one surety in like sum and has surrendered his international passport to the court registrar. Following the conclusion of Ibrahim’s cross-examination, Justice Abdulmalik discharged the witness and adjourned the matter until November 3 for the continuation of trial.
