Alleged N2.2bn Fraud: Ex-Labour Minister Ngige To Remain In Kuje Prison Till December 18

Justice Maryam Aliyu Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Gwarimpa in Abuja has ordered that the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige be kept at Kuje Correctional Centre till December 18, when his bail application would be decided one way or the other.

Justice Hassan issued the order on Monday, shortly after taking arguments for and against the bail application of the former governor of Anambra state.

Counsel to Ngige, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN pleaded with the Judge to admit the former Minister to bail on various reasons but mainly on health ground.

He submitted that the former Minister would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses if admitted to bail.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) represented by Sylvanus Tahir, SAN opposed the bail request insisting that Ngige was a flight risk.

He told the Judge that the defendant was granted administrative bail by the anti-graft agency and allowed to travel abroad for medical care but never reported back.

Besides, he said the international passport of the former Minister released to him to facilitate the abroad trip, “was never returned till today”.

Tahir argued that it was when Ngige was re-arrested that he came up with a purported claims that he lost his passport.

Insisting that the claims of passport loss was an afterthought and should not be believed by the Court, Tahir urged the court to dismiss the bail request for being frivolous.

After the submissions, Justice Hassan adjourned till December 18 to deliver ruling on the bail application.

The EFCC had, on Friday, arraigned Ngige on an 8-count charge bordering on alleged N2.2 billion contract fraud and acceptance of gifts from contractors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund while he served as its supervising minister between September 2015 and May 2023.