A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has alleged political witch-hunting of Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who resigned from office over a case of certificate forgery, threatening to stage a protest against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over his arrest and continued detention.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the coalition alleged that the case was being used to frustrate Nnaji’s political ambition ahead of the 2027 Enugu State governorship election.
The group, led by Kennedy Iyere, alleged that the Enugu State Government, the ICPC, and management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), were part of the campaign against the former minister. The coalition, however, did not present documentary evidence to support the allegations. Related News Nigeria’s N4.65tn bank capital boom risks leaving SMEs behind Court affirms FCCPC's powers to probe airline ticket pricing complaints Crypto hacks double despite 57% drop in stolen funds in H1 2026
The CSOs maintained that the certificate forgery case remains before the court and argued that public comments capable of influencing the proceedings should be avoided. They accused the ICPC of prejudging the matter and described Nnaji’s continued detention as unlawful and a violation of his right to fair hearing.
