metro

Presidency speaks on Minister Nnaji’s certificate forgery allegation

Published

2 months ago

October 7, 2025

Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji

Presidency speaks on Minister Nnaji’s certificate forgery allegation

As public pressure mounts on the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, to step down over allegations of certificate forgery, the Presidency has stated that it will take action only after the court delivers its verdict on the matter.

Speaking on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, emphasized that the government will respect the judicial process and refrain from making comments while the case remains before the court.

“The matter is already in court, and it would be inappropriate for the Presidency to make any statement at this stage,” Onanuga said, adding that the federal government will act in accordance with the court’s decision once the legal process is concluded.

“This matter is already in court. We should await the verdict of the court,” Onanuga stated.
The clarification comes following revelations that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) disowned the certificate allegedly submitted by Nnaji.

In a letter dated October 2, 2025, and signed by the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, the institution said records showed that Nnaji, with matriculation number 1981/30725, was admitted to study Microbiology/Biochemistry in 1981 but did not complete his studies.

READ ALSO:

Part of the letter reads: “From every available record and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current minister of science and technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study.

“Following the above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka DID NOT and, consequently, COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate in July 1985 to Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji.”

The university said its position was consistent with an earlier letter sent to the Public Complaints Commission on May 13, 2025, in response to a similar inquiry.

However, in his filing before the court, Nnaji admitted that he had yet to collect his degree certificate from the university, attributing the delay to what he described as UNN officials’ “non-cooperative attitude.”

Despite this, calls have intensified from civil society organisations and opposition figures urging Nnaji to step aside pending the case’s conclusion.

But the Presidency says it will not be drawn into the controversy, insisting that due process must take its full course.

Presidency speaks on Minister Nnaji’s certificate forgery allegation

(LEADERSHIP)

Related Topics:certificate Featured forgery’Minister Nnaji Presidency

Up Next

NNPC contract: Court freezes account of company linked to Atiku’s son-in-law

Don't Miss

Pastor accused of forgery faces trial in N1.2bn estate dispute

metro

Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

Published

1 hour ago

December 12, 2025

Trends Admin

former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige

Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Gwarinpa has ordered the remand of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Kuje prison pending the hearing of his bail application.

Justice Maryam Hassan issued the order on Friday after Ngige pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

READ ALSO:

The former minister, who served from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, is being prosecuted for his alleged role in a N2.2 billion contract fraud. The charges include abuse of office and accusations that he received kickbacks from companies that secured contracts from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The court ruled that Ngige should remain in custody until Monday, when his bail application will be heard.

Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

metro

Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

Published

1 hour ago

December 12, 2025

Trends Admin

Maryam Sanda

Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reaffirmed the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former PDP chairman, for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, in 2017.

Sanda was convicted by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, and sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of stabbing her husband to death at their Abuja residence. She had spent six years and eight months in Suleja prison before President Bola Tinubu reduced her punishment to 12 years under the recent presidential pardon initiative.

READ ALSO:

According to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the clemency was granted on “compassionate grounds” and in the “best interest of the children,” noting Sanda’s good conduct, reformed behaviour, and remorse during incarceration.

However, in a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court on Friday overturned the executive intervention and reaffirmed the original death sentence. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The apex court upheld the earlier decisions of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, describing them as sound and unassailable. It further held that President Tinubu lacked the constitutional authority to issue a pardon in a homicide case that was still under judicial review.

Sanda’s appeal was dismissed for lacking merit, bringing a definitive close to one of Nigeria’s most widely followed murder conviction cases.

Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

metro

Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Trends Admin

Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu

Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute

A woman and her 10-month-old baby have been found murdered in Sheme village, Faskari Local Government Area, Katsina State, in what authorities believe was linked to a paternity dispute.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that detectives are investigating the incident. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said 35-year-old Sahabi Rabi’u has been arrested in connection with the killings, while a second suspect remains at large.

READ ALSO:

Aliyu explained: “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and admitted conspiring with a friend, now at large, to lure the victims to the outskirts of Sheme village, where they were killed. The bodies were burnt and thrown into a nearby well.”

Investigations revealed that the murder stemmed from a paternity disagreement, which escalated into a brutal killing. The bodies have been recovered, and the suspect is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice.

Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, condemned the killings as “barbaric and inhumane,” assuring that justice will be served. He appealed to members of the public to provide information that could assist in capturing the second suspect, with guarantees of confidentiality.