Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu over an ongoing investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Security sources said Nnaji was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday while preparing to board a private jet bound for Abuja.
According to the sources, the DSS carried out the arrest following a request from the ICPC, which is investigating allegations of irregularities linked to the management of the Ministry of Science and Technology during his tenure.
After the arrest, the former minister was reportedly handed over to the anti-graft agency for further investigation.
A source familiar with the development said the ICPC had previously invited Nnaji several times in response to petitions concerning his time in office, but he allegedly failed to honour the invitations.
“The DSS acted on the request of the ICPC. He was arrested at the Enugu airport while attempting to board a private jet to Abuja and has since been handed over to the commission,” the source said.
Another source added that the commission sought the assistance of the DSS after repeated invitations to the former minister were ignored.
Nnaji resigned from office in October last year under circumstances that attracted public attention.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the DSS nor the ICPC had issued an official statement on the arrest, while the former minister had yet to respond to the allegations.
Efforts to reach the ICPC spokesperson, John Odeh, for comments were unsuccessful as calls to his phone went unanswered.