A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, was on Friday brought before an Abuja High Court in Gwarinpa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of a N2.2bn contract fraud.
Justice Maryam Hassan ordered that the former minister be detained at the Kuje Correctional Centre until the court hears his bail application on Monday, December 14.
Ngige entered a not-guilty plea to eight charges, which include abuse of office and receiving 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 keep the defendant in custody.
He said, “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.”
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However, the defence lead counsel, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), objected to the request, appealing to the court to grant his client bail on health grounds. He informed the court that Ngige had already spent three days in EFCC custody before the arraignment.
He said, “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.
“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 further argued that the case did not fall under offences severe enough to deny bail.
“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,” Ikwueto stated.
He also challenged the prosecution’s application, insisting that the defence needed time to respond.
“We were not allowed time to file our own counter-affidavit. If the prosecution will give us time, we will.”
Responding, the prosecution maintained that the charges were serious and should not be minimised.
“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 said.
They also informed the court that Ngige failed to return his international passport after he was permitted to travel for medical reasons in October.
Justice Hassan then adjourned the case to December 14 and ordered Ngige’s remand in Kuje.
