Former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after arriving from Enugu on a chartered flight.
Airport sources said he was taken into custody shortly after landing and is expected to be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for questioning and further investigation.
His arrest is linked to an ongoing probe into claims that he presented fake academic records during his time in public office.
In June, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted permission for the ICPC to arrest him after he allegedly failed to respond to several invitations for questioning.
The court also allowed the commission to declare him wanted through public notices across different media platforms.
The case follows earlier findings from a detailed investigation which claimed that the former minister submitted a University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps documents that were later found to be questionable.
The documents were reportedly presented during his ministerial screening in 2023 to the presidency, the Senate, and security agencies.
He later admitted that the University of Nigeria did not issue him a degree certificate, which aligned with parts of the earlier findings.
On June 18, he filed an appeal challenging the arrest order at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, according to court records.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official statement from the ICPC or from Nnaji regarding the arrest.
