By Correspondent in Abuja.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, and other officials have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over alleged certificate forgery.
Our correspondent reports that the university and its officers, in a preliminary objection, urged Justice Hauwa Yilwa to strike out the case for being statute-barred, incompetent, and wrongly filed.
Nnaji had dragged the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), UNN, and its officials to court in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025, seeking orders to stop the university from tampering with his academic records among other prayers.
At Monday’s hearing, Nnaji’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, informed the court that counsel to the 3rd to 7th defendants, Prisca Udoka, SAN, had only served them the notice of preliminary objection that morning and intended to file a counter-affidavit.
Justice Yilwa adjourned the case till January 13, 2026, for hearing and directed that hearing notices be issued to all parties absent in court.
In their objection, UNN, the Vice-Chancellor, and former Acting VC, Prof. Oguenjiofor Ujam, argued that Nnaji’s motion was filed outside the three-month limitation period prescribed by law and therefore robbed the court of jurisdiction.
They further argued that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain matters relating to student academic records and transcripts, which fall within the university’s internal administrative framework.
The defendants also maintained that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action against them, stressing that Prof. Ortuanya acted only in his official capacity as Vice-Chancellor.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
