Former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.

According to Punch, Nnaji was apprehended in the early hours of Wednesday while preparing to board a private jet bound for Abuja.

Security sources told the newspaper that the arrest was carried out at the request of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which is investigating allegations linked to the former minister’s tenure in office.

The sources said Nnaji was subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.

One source said the DSS acted on the ICPC’s request, adding that the former minister was intercepted at the airport before boarding the aircraft.

The sources also disclosed that the ICPC had previously invited Nnaji several times over petitions alleging irregularities in the management of the Ministry of Science and Technology. They claimed he did not honour those invitations, prompting the anti-graft agency to seek the DSS’s assistance in effecting his arrest.

Nnaji resigned as Minister of Science and Technology in October 2025 under circumstances that attracted public attention.

As of the time of reporting, neither the DSS nor the ICPC had issued an official statement on the arrest, while Nnaji had not publicly responded to the allegations.

Calls to the ICPC spokesperson, John Odeh, were not answered at the time Punch filed its report.