Certificate scandal: CASER asks Enugu Attorney General to prosecute ex-minister, Nnaji
The Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) has called on Enugu State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to prosecute former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, an indigene of Enugu State.
The erstwhile minister recently resigned from office over certificates forgery scandal.
Nnaji allegedly forged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate and a National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate, which he submitted to the Senate, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and Directorate of State Service (DSS) for his appointment, screening, and confirmation as a minister in President Bola Tinubu’s government in August 2023.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Executive Director, CASER, Mr Frank Tietie, said the organisation had already written to the Attorney General of Enugu State to immediately begin the prosecution of Nnaji as federal agencies that should have prosecuted him appeared to be dragging their feet.
According to the lawyer and activist, the dereliction of duty on the part of federal agencies, especially when linked to high-profile personalities, undermines public confidence in the nation’s justice system and erodes the foundational principle that no one is above the law.
He said: “It is precisely the perceived inaction and selective enforcement by these federal agencies for reasons that are politically obvious that has compelled CASER to formally request the Honourable Attorney General of Enugu State to exercise his constitutional powers under Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to investigate and prosecute Chief Geoffrey Uche Nnaji for alleged acts amounting to forgery and related offences.
“Section 211 empowers a State Attorney General to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person in respect of offences created by law in that state.
“This request by CASER is not politically motivated — it is a principled call for justice, deterrence, and the restoration of institutional integrity. If the federal agencies will not act because of political convenience or political correctness, then a state authority that still believes in the sanctity of law must do so.”
In case the Enugu State Attorney General is unwilling to prosecute the case, CASER asked him to issue a fiat to private citizens to prosecute the matter.
Tietie exhibited a copy of the letter sent to the Enugu State Attorney General and which was dated 6th October 2025, delivered and duly acknowledged on 7th October 2025.
CASER maintained that “failure to prosecute politically exposed persons sends a dangerous message that some individuals are above the law and this cannot continue if Nigeria is to strengthen democracy, uphold the Constitution, and command international respect as a nation governed by laws, not by persons.”
Recall that on Wednesday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Alliance, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), several senior lawyers, and CSOs also called for the investigation and prosecution of Nnaji, insisting that resignation was not an atonement for alleged offences of forgery and perjury.
However, the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), demanded that Nnaji be banned from holding public office for life to serve as a deterrent to others.
“He did not resign of his own volition. He was forced by the public, the media, and the civil society to resign. He didn’t resign as an honourable man.
“He actually went to court to stop the university from releasing his record. In fact, we should ban him from public office for life,” he stated.
