Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, appeared before an Abuja High Court in Gwarinpa on Friday following a case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleging his involvement in a N2.2bn contract fraud.
Presiding judge, Justice Maryam Hassan, directed that Ngige be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre until his bail request is considered on Monday, December 15.
Ngige entered a not guilty plea to the eight-count charge, which accuses him of abusing his office and receiving gifts from contractors working with the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund during his tenure as the supervising minister from September 2015 to May 2023.
Once his plea was taken, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) requested a date for trial and asked the court to remand the defendant.
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.”
Lead defence lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), opposed the remand application and urged the court to grant Ngige bail on health grounds, pointing out that his client had already spent three days in EFCC custody.
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 allegations did not justify the denial of 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 said.
The defence also contested the EFCC’s application, saying they were not given time to file their response.
“We were not allowed time to file our own counter-affidavit. If the prosecution will give us time, we will.”
Responding, the EFCC insisted that the allegations 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 told the court.
The agency also noted that Ngige had failed to return his international passport after being permitted to travel for medical care in October.
Justice Hassan adjourned the case to December 15 and ordered that Ngige remain in Kuje pending the hearing of his bail application.
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