Alleged forgery: Court grants ex-minister Uche Nnaji permission to travel abroad for treatment

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted Uche Nnaji, former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who presided over the matter, granted the application on Monday and ordered the release of Nnaji’s international passport, which he had deposited with the court as part of his bail conditions.

The application was filed and argued by Ogwu Onoja, counsel to the former minister.

The court subsequently adjourned the case until October 26 for continuation of the trial.

Nnaji is facing a six-count charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged certificate forgery, false information and corruption.

He was arraigned on July 13 and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

According to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/391/2026, the ICPC alleged that between August 2023 and October 2025, while serving as minister, Nnaji received N29,578,466.67 in salary and allowances through a bank account.

The commission described the money as “proceeds of unlawful acts, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

In another count, the ICPC accused Nnaji of using his office to confer a corrupt advantage on himself by receiving the same salary and allowances.

The remaining four counts concern alleged forgery and the making and use of false documents.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Nnaji knowingly presented a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate bearing number A231309 to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation during the documentation process for his appointment as minister.

The commission also alleged that the former minister submitted a purported University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), degree certificate in Microbiology/Biochemistry bearing number 004501.

The ICPC further alleged that Nnaji knew the documents were false and accused him of making and using them as genuine.

Following his arraignment in July, the court granted Nnaji bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety in like sum.

The surety was required to be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15 and to have maintained a fixed residence for at least four years.

The court also directed the surety to provide evidence of employment, including a letter of appointment and salary slips for the preceding three months.

As part of the bail conditions, Nnaji was ordered to deposit his international passport and other travel documents with the court.

With Monday’s ruling, the court has temporarily released the passport to enable the former minister travel abroad for medical treatment, while his trial is scheduled to continue on October 26.