Ngige Remanded In Kuje Prison As EFCC Arraigns Ex-Labour Minister Over Alleged N2.2bn Contract Fraud

Abuja, Nigeria- A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, was on Friday arraigned before an Abuja High Court sitting in Gwarinpa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N2.2 billion contract fraud linked to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Justice Maryam Hassan ordered that the former minister be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application, scheduled for Monday, December 14.

Ngige pleaded not guilty to eight counts bordering on abuse of office and acceptance of gifts from contractors while he served as the supervising minister of NSITF between September 2015 and May 2023.

Moments after the plea was taken, EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), asked the court to fix a trial date and commit the defendant to prison custody.

“In view of the not guilty plea entered by the defendant, we humbly apply for the trial date. We further pray my Lord that the accused person be remanded at the Kuje prison pending the commencement of the full trial,” Tahir told the court.

But defence lead counsel, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), pushed back, urging the court to grant his client bail on health grounds. He noted that Ngige had spent the last three days in EFCC detention and had complained of the need to seek medical treatment.

“The defendant has taken his plea, and your lordship is now in full control of this trial. As I mentioned earlier, the defendant has been in the custody of the EFCC for the past three days, during which the charge was served on him. We can see the charge was filed yesterday and assigned to this Court,” Ikwueto argued.

“The issue of whether he will be granted bail or not is a right in our Constitution. The defendant is not an unknown person in this country. I don’t think there is anybody in this country who will say they don’t know the defendant. Even from the charge, it was stated that he was a minister of this country.

“I urge your Lordship to grant the defendant bail, and we are ready to grant any requirement your Lordship will put to grant him bail. Even this morning, he mentioned how he needs to go to the hospital. The prosecution is asking for his remand, knowing fully well they don’t have the facility to cater to his health issues at Kuje.”

He maintained that the offences were not grave enough to warrant the former minister’s detention, stressing that they were neither terrorism nor treason charges.

“It’s not like he ate the ministry’s money or that of NSTIF. The trial will start, and we will see how those contracts were awarded. It’s not a terrorism charge or treason offence,” he added.

The defence also accused the EFCC of ambushing them by not giving time to respond to the prosecution’s application for remand.

“We were not allowed time to file our own counter-affidavit. If the prosecution will give us time, we will,” Ikwueto said.

However, the EFCC countered sharply, insisting the allegations were “far from trivial” and carried serious penalties.

“The offences with which the defendant was charged are by no means minute; they are rather enormous crimes that if found guilty, he will spend nothing less than five years in prison because of the attempt to trivialise the crime and bamboozle the Court,” the prosecution stated.

The EFCC further told the court that Ngige had failed to return his international passport after being granted permission to travel for medical treatment in October.

After hearing both sides, Justice Hassan adjourned the case to December 15 for the bail hearing and ordered Ngige’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.