Chris Ngige, a former Minister of Labour and Employment, was on Friday arraigned before an Abuja High Court in Gwarinpa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged N2.2bn contract fraud.
Justice Maryam Hassan ordered that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application, slated for Monday, December 14.
Chris Ngige pleaded not guilty to eight charges linked to alleged abuse of office and the acceptance of gifts from contractors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund during his tenure as supervising minister between September 2015 and May 2023.
Following his plea, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) requested a trial date and urged the court to place Ngige in remand custody.
After Ngige entered a not guilty plea, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) urged the court to fix a trial date and requested that the former minister be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the start of the proceedings.
However, lead defence counsel Patrick Ikwueto (SAN) strongly opposed the application, asking the court to consider his client’s deteriorating health and grant him bail. He reminded the court that Ngige had already spent three days in EFCC custody before his arraignment.
“The defendant has taken his plea, and your lordship is now fully seised of this matter,” Ikwueto submitted. “He has been in EFCC custody for the past three days, during which the charge was served on him. The charge itself was only filed yesterday and then assigned to this court.
He argued that the question of bail is a constitutional right, stressing that the defendant is a well-known public figure. “There is hardly anyone in this country who does not know the defendant. Even the charges acknowledge that he served as a minister,” he submitted.
Counsel urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms, adding that the defence was prepared to meet any conditions the judge might impose. “This morning, he informed us that he needs medical attention. Yet the prosecution is seeking his remand despite knowing that Kuje prison lacks the facilities to adequately manage his health concerns,” he argued.
Ikwueto argued that the charges brought against his client were nowhere near the severity of offences such as terrorism or treason that would warrant the denial of bail.
According to him, “It’s not as though he embezzled funds belonging to the ministry or the NSITF.
The trial will commence, and the court will have the opportunity to examine how those contracts were awarded. These allegations are not terrorism or treason offences.”
He further faulted the EFCC’s application, insisting that the defence had not been given adequate time to reply.
“We were not given the opportunity to file our counter-affidavit. If the prosecution will grant us the time, we will file it,” he said.
But the prosecution pushed back, arguing that the charges against the defendant were serious and should not be dismissed or trivialised by the defence.
The prosecution described the offences against the defendant as serious, warning that if convicted, he could face no less than five years in prison, criticizing attempts to downplay the severity of the crimes.
They also noted that Ngige failed to return his international passport after being allowed to travel for medical treatment in October. The court adjourned the matter to December 14 and ordered that Ngige be remanded in Kuje.