The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has filed a six-count criminal charge against former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji before the Federal High Court, Abuja, ahead of an expected arraignment.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a six-count criminal charge against Uche Nnaji, former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, before the Federal High Court, Abuja. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026, lists the Federal Government of Nigeria as complainant.
According to the charge, Nnaji received over ₦29.5 million in salaries and allowances while serving as minister, which the ICPC alleges he ought to have known constituted proceeds of an unlawful act. The charge further alleges that Nnaji knowingly presented a false National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate and a false University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree certificate during his 2023 ministerial screening.
Premium Times, which first reported the filing on 8 July 2026, said Nnaji is expected to be arraigned before the Federal High Court in the coming days. No arraignment date has been confirmed.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, has jurisdiction over offences under the ICPC Act and other federal anti-corruption statutes. A charge filed before the court represents the commencement of criminal proceedings; it is not a finding of guilt. Under Nigerian law, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty following a full trial.
Nnaji has not been reported to have responded specifically to the six-count charge. He has previously denied the underlying certificate allegations and challenged the ICPC's arrest order in separate proceedings, including a Court of Appeal filing.
What happens next:
Nnaji is expected to be arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, though no date has been set. Arraignment will determine his plea on each of the six counts.
