By John Umeh
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja, to reject the bail application filed by former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, following his arraignment on corruption-related charges.
Ngige appeared on Monday, December 15, before Justice M. A. Hassan to answer an eight-count charge bordering on alleged contract fraud and the acceptance of gifts valued at ₦2.26 billion.
Arguing against the bail request, EFCC lead prosecutor, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, urged the court to exercise extreme caution, citing what he described as the defendant’s blatant disregard for the terms of an earlier administrative bail granted by the commission.
Tahir told the court that Ngige failed to return his international passport as agreed after being permitted to travel abroad for medical reasons. According to him, the defendant had undertaken to submit the passport to the EFCC by November 19, 2025, but did not do so until he was eventually arrested.
The prosecution further questioned Ngige’s explanation that his passport was lost in the United Kingdom, noting that he failed to obtain a police report or swear an affidavit of loss in the UK before returning to Nigeria.
“If the passport was truly lost abroad, nothing prevented the defendant from obtaining a police report or deposing to an affidavit of loss in London,” Tahir argued. “What does the Nigerian Police know about the alleged loss of a passport in the United Kingdom?”
He contended that the former minister was in gross violation of the administrative bail conditions and warned the court against granting bail under similar terms.
“What we are saying, my Lord, is that the defendant has undermined the provisions of Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. The totality of this case calls for extreme caution. We urge the court to refuse the bail application and instead order an accelerated hearing,” Tahir submitted.
In response, counsel to the defendant, Patrick Ikweato, SAN, appealed to the court to grant Ngige bail, urging the judge to consider the arguments outlined in the defence’s written application.
“I respectfully ask my Lord to admit the defendant to bail as prayed. We rely on all the processes filed before this court,” Ikweato said.
Justice Hassan adjourned the matter to Thursday, December 18, 2025, for ruling on the bail application.
Ngige is facing an eight-count charge relating to alleged contract fraud and the acceptance of gifts amounting to ₦2,261,722,535.84 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty-Five Naira, Eighty-Four Kobo).
