Court Lets Uche Nnaji Travel Abroad for Medical Care

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday allowed former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji to travel abroad for medical treatment. The court ordered the release of his passport for this trip.

Judge Joyce Abdulmalik made the decision after Mr Nnaji’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed an application. This was during the hearing of the case involving Mr Nnaji’s alleged certificate forgery.

The judge ordered the passport to be released and set the next hearing for 26 October to continue the trial.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting Mr Nnaji on six charges. These charges include certificate forgery, false information, abuse of office, and money laundering.

Mr Nnaji, who is 63 years old, pleaded not guilty to all the charges when he appeared in court on 13 July. The case began after an investigation into claims that Mr Nnaji submitted fake academic documents to support his appointment as a minister.

The ICPC claims Mr Nnaji received N29.58 million in salary and allowances from August 2023 to October 2025 while serving as a minister. The commission describes this money as proceeds from unlawful activities.

The commission also accused him of using his position to gain illegal advantages by receiving these payments. Four other charges relate to claims that Nnaji forged and used a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and a fake degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

The ICPC alleged that Mr Nnaji presented an NYSC certificate numbered A231309 and a supposed UNN certificate in Microbiology/Biochemistry, numbered 004501, when he was appointed as a minister. But Mr Nnaji denies any wrongdoing.

After his arraignment in July, the court granted him bail of N20 million with one surety. The judge stated that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15 and must show proof of employment and salary.

As part of his bail conditions, Mr Nnaji had to deposit his international passport and other travel documents with the court. It was this passport that the court released on Monday for his medical trip.

How the Certificate Controversy Started

The case against Mr Nnaji began after a two-year investigation by PREMIUM TIMES into his academic and NYSC records. The investigation found problems with the NYSC discharge certificate and degree certificate he provided.

Checks with the NYSC and UNN raised doubts about the documents' authenticity. The investigation showed that while Mr Nnaji was admitted to UNN in 1981, he did not finish his studies and was not on the university’s graduation list in 1985.

The investigation also found issues with the NYSC certificate, including its numbering and the identity of the official who signed it. UNN confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Nnaji did not graduate and did not receive the degree certificate he claimed.

NYSC officials also said they could not verify the certificate of national service he had. Three days after this investigation was made public, Mr Nnaji stepped down as minister, and President Bola Tinubu accepted his resignation.

Mr Nnaji then took legal action against UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, and other officials, asking the court to stop them from releasing or altering his academic records. He also wanted the court to order UNN to release his transcript.

In court documents, Mr Nnaji admitted that UNN did not give him the degree certificate he showed but insisted he completed his studies. The university maintains that he did not graduate.

Mr Nnaji also filed a complaint with the Minister of Education, claiming improper handling of his academic records. A panel set up by the minister looked into the university’s records and found that Mr Nnaji forged the UNN degree certificate.

They said his name was not on the 1985 graduation list, and his academic file included correspondence about a failed Virology course, including a May 1986 application to retake the course.

An investigation panel created by Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, praised UNN officials for revealing Mr Nnaji’s certificate forgery. The ICPC then started a criminal investigation and later charged Mr Nnaji with certificate forgery, false information, abuse of office, and money laundering.