An investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Yakubu Ibrahim, on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, and the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, disowned certificates allegedly presented by former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.
Ibrahim stated this while testifying as the first prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in the alleged certificate forgery case against the former minister.
According to the witness, the ICPC launched an investigation after receiving two separate petitions accusing Nnaji of certificate forgery.
He said the commission wrote to the National Assembly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, UNN and the NYSC to authenticate a Bachelor of Science degree certificate in Microbiology and Biochemistry and an NYSC discharge certificate dated May 15, 1986, allegedly presented by Nnaji during his ministerial screening in 2023.
Ibrahim told the court that the Clerk of the Senate subsequently forwarded the certificates to the ICPC.
He said the NYSC responded that it did not issue the discharge certificate attributed to Nnaji, while UNN also denied issuing the degree certificate.
The witness said the university provided Nnaji’s academic records, including a withdrawal notice dated November 7, 1984, over his failure in General Microbiology.
He told the court that UNN explained that a student who failed a course four times was not qualified to obtain a degree.
According to him, Nnaji failed at two stages and did not sit for the third stage for medical reasons but proceeded to write a supplementary examination for which he had not registered.
During cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to the former minister, Ibrahim admitted that he did not visit UNN during the investigation and could not identify where the certificates were allegedly forged.
However, he said the investigation team interviewed the university registrar.
“The NYSC said the certificate was not issued by it, which was why we didn’t inquire where he served,” he told the court.
Recall that Nnaji resigned as minister following the certificate forgery controversy.
The former minister is also seeking to represent the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State. He reportedly did not include the controversial degree certificate in his Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, filing ahead of the election.
