An investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Yakubu Ibrahim, on Monday advised the Federal High Court in Abuja that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, and the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, disowned certificates allegedly offered by former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.
Ibrahim said this whereas testifying as the primary prosecution witness earlier than Justice Joyce Abdulmalik within the alleged certificates forgery case in opposition to the previous minister.
According to the witness, the ICPC launched an investigation after receiving two separate petitions accusing Nnaji of certificates forgery.
He mentioned the fee 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 diploma certificates in Microbiology and Biochemistry and an NYSC discharge certificates dated May 15, 1986, allegedly offered by Nnaji throughout his ministerial screening in 2023.
Ibrahim advised the court that the Clerk of the Senate subsequently forwarded the certificates to the ICPC.
He mentioned the NYSC responded that it didn’t problem the discharge certificates attributed to Nnaji, whereas UNN additionally denied issuing the diploma certificates.
The witness mentioned the college supplied Nnaji’s tutorial information, together with a withdrawal discover dated November 7, 1984, over his failure in General Microbiology.
He advised the court that UNN defined {that a} scholar who failed a course 4 occasions was not certified to acquire a level.
According to him, Nnaji failed at two levels and didn’t sit for the third stage for medical causes however proceeded to put in writing a supplementary examination for which he had not registered.
During cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to the previous minister, Ibrahim admitted that he didn’t go to UNN in the course of the investigation and couldn’t determine the place the certificates had been allegedly solid.
However, he mentioned the investigation crew interviewed the college registrar.
“The NYSC said the certificate was not issued by it, which was why we didn’t inquire where he served,” he advised the court.
Recall that Nnaji resigned as minister following the certificates forgery controversy.
The former minister can also be looking for to characterize the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, within the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State. He reportedly didn’t embody the controversial diploma certificates in his Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, submitting forward of the election.
