Alleged N2.2bn Fraud: Court To Rule On Ngige’s Bail Application December 18

An Abuja High Court sitting in Gwarinpa has adjourned until December 18 for ruling on the bail application of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who is facing allegations of N2.2bn fraud.

Justice Maryam Hassan made the adjournment on Tuesday following arguments from Ngige’s legal team, which urged the court to grant bail, insisting that the former minister is not a flight risk.

The defence noted that Ngige had previously been granted administrative bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prior to his latest arrest.

Ngige’s counsel further explained that the former minister had traveled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, with his international passport released by the EFCC. Upon returning to Nigeria, Ngige reportedly misplaced the passport and returned using a travel certificate.

The prosecution, led by Sylvanus Tahir, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, opposed the bail request, arguing that Ngige did not report the loss of his passport to the EFCC immediately and only filed an affidavit of loss at Maitama Police Station after his arrest, describing it as “an afterthought.”

Tahir emphasized that immigration law requires lost travel documents to be reported to the local police where the loss occurred.

Ngige was arraigned by the EFCC on an eight-count charge alleging abuse of office and unlawful receipt of financial benefits from contractors while supervising the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) between 2015 and 2023.

The commission claimed he awarded contracts worth billions of naira to companies linked to his associates, including Cezimo Nigeria Limited, Zitacom Nigeria Limited, Jeff & Xris Limited, Olde English Consolidated Limited, and Shale Atlantic Intercontinental Services Limited, and received kickbacks disguised as gifts totaling tens of millions of naira.

Justice Hassan had initially ordered Ngige remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.

While the defence argued for bail on health grounds, noting Ngige had already spent several days in EFCC custody, the prosecution maintained that the seriousness of the charges and Ngige’s failure to return his international passport made him a potential flight risk.

After hearing submissions from both sides, the court adjourned the matter to December 18 for a ruling on the bail application.