Ex-presidential aide Okoi Obono-Obla arrested over alleged certificate forgery

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has confirmed the arrest of Okoi Obono-Obla, former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), over alleged certificate forgery and the fraudulent acquisition of professional qualifications.

The arrest reportedly took place on Thursday, February 19, 2026, in Ugep, Cross River State, following a fresh petition. According to a statement from the Cross River State Police Command, Obono-Obla was taken into custody near Abuja Park in Ugep.

The police spokesperson, Eitokpah Sunday, emphasized that the arrest was lawful and part of an ongoing investigation. “The arrest was effected in accordance with extant laws and in the exercise of the constitutional and statutory powers of the Nigeria Police Force to investigate allegations of criminal conduct,” he said.

Obono-Obla was subsequently taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Calabar, where investigations are ongoing. The police confirmed that his legal counsel has been duly notified and is participating in the process, and that his relatives are aware of his location. Sunday also dismissed claims that the former presidential aide had been kidnapped by unknown security operatives, describing such reports as “false, unfounded, and entirely without factual basis.”

The former presidential aide has a long history with anti-corruption panels and legal controversies. In 2016, then-President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Obono-Obla as Special Assistant to the President (Prosecution) at the Federal Ministry of Justice. He later served as chairman of the SPIP, tasked with recovering stolen public property.

However, in August 2019, President Buhari suspended him following an ICPC investigation into alleged record falsification and financial impropriety. In October 2019, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) declared Obono-Obla wanted for repeatedly failing to appear before it to answer questions related to fraud and corruption allegations.

Obono-Obla was first arrested by ICPC in Abuja in March 2020. In subsequent years, he faced multiple prosecutions: in March 2021 over alleged N10.1 million fraud, and in October 2021 on charges of falsifying and forging school results. ICPC accused him of forging O-Level results to gain admission to study law at the University of Jos in the 1985/86 academic session.