Former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was reportedly arrested on Wednesday at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, while preparing to board a chartered flight to Abuja.

According to Premium Times, sources at the airport said Nnaji was taken into custody and is expected to be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for questioning over allegations of certificate forgery.

The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations. The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media outlets after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.

According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations related to the forgery allegations.

The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.

The publication alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to the report, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.

The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, describing the publication as a “media trial.”

However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal seeking to set aside the arrest order.

As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) has dismissed as false and misleading reports claiming that its Founder and Chairman, Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma, CON, is dead, insisting that the renowned industrialist is alive and actively leading the company.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the company’s management described the report as baseless and urged the public to disregard it and rely only on information released through IVM’s official communication channels.

“We wish to unequivocally state that this claim is false, misleading and entirely without factual basis. Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma, CON, is alive, well and continues to provide leadership as the Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd.,” the statement said.

The company explained that the false report appeared to have mistaken its chairman for another individual with the same name, noting that the distinction had previously been clarified by independent fact-checking organisations.

“The publication appears to have confused our Chairman with another individual who bore the same name but was an entirely different person,” it stated.

IVM urged customers, business partners, dealers, financial institutions, government agencies and the general public to ignore the publication.

The company also disclosed that it had commenced legal action against the publisher, demanding an immediate retraction, a public apology and an end to the circulation of the false report.

“Our legal representatives have formally written to the publisher demanding an immediate retraction, a public apology and the cessation of the dissemination of the false information. We remain committed to pursuing all lawful measures necessary to protect the reputation of our Chairman and safeguard the integrity of our Company,” it added.

Reaffirming its commitment to Nigeria’s industrial development, IVM said it remains focused on producing world-class vehicles and delivering quality products and services despite the misinformation.

The company also thanked Nigerians, customers and business partners for their continued support and confidence, describing their trust as the foundation of its growth and success.

Governors elected under The All Progressives Congress (APC) have reviewed outcome of the party’s primaries and resolved to meet with Prof Netanwe Yilwatda, Chairman of the party, and other leaders.

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), said the resolution was reached at the forum’s meeting which ended at the early hours of Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PGF is an umbrella body of all serving APC governors.

Uzodimma while addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting said that the governors also resolved to work to ensure that Nigerians were better off.

He said that the meeting reviewed the outcome of the party’s primaries across the federation, the recent Ekiti governorship election and various by elections in which the APC came out in ”flying colours”.

“We have resolved to work towards solving the problems and challenges facing our democratic space and ensuring that our people are better off.

“We also resolved to meet with the leadership of the party to plan the coming 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. We are ready and good to go,” he said.

The PGF chairman added that the forum further resolved to continue to work with the APC leadership to support and strengthen it and prepare it for future elections.

The meeting was attended by governors of Ekiti, Zamfara, Taraba, Lagos, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom and Borno States among others.(NAN)

The United States has described a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria as one of its most significant successes in the fight against jihadist groups, recovering what it calls the largest cache of enemy electronic equipment since the September 11, 2001 attacks.Politics

Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the U.S. National Security Council, made the disclosure in an interview with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit.

Gorka stated that U.S. operatives, in coordination with Nigerian forces, conducted a raid approximately three weeks ago that neutralised 199 jihadists in a single operation.

“That is the biggest neutralisation of enemy killed in action since September 11. Two hundred and ninety-nine jihadists who will not harm Americans again,” Gorka said.

He added that the operation yielded an intelligence haul so substantial that an additional aircraft was required to transport the recovered electronic materials.

“We needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material that we captured in those camps. The haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9/11,” he said.

According to Gorka, the recovered materials are being analysed for intelligence on Islamic State (ISIS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) communication networks, financing, operational planning and international links.

Speaking on how the operation was authorised, Gorka said President Donald Trump approved the mission after being briefed on the threat posed by the targeted militants.

“We told the President, this man has killed Americans and is planning to kill Americans. He ticked the ‘go box’ on the operational orders we had in front of him.”

Gorka also said Africa has increasingly become a focus for ISIS because of vast ungoverned territories where extremist groups can regroup after defeats elsewhere.

He further disclosed that the administration’s current counterterrorism campaign has resulted in the neutralisation of more than 1,000 jihadists globally.

Details of the specific location and exact date of the raid were not publicly specified, although reports have linked it to operations in Borno State targeting ISWAP elements, including the reported elimination of a high-value target.

The announcement underscores ongoing U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel. Nigerian and U.S. forces have collaborated on intelligence sharing, training and equipment support in efforts to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP.Demographics

No independent verification of the casualty figures or the scale of the intelligence recovered had been released by Nigerian authorities as of the time of reporting.