A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Thursday granted bail to a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, six days after he was remanded in custody over alleged corruption offences.
The court granted the bail after overruling objections raised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and adopted the administrative bail earlier given to Ngige by the anti-graft agency, ruling that bail conditions must be exercised judicially and not in an unreasonable or arbitrary manner.
Ngige was arraigned on December 12 on an eight-count charge bordering on abuse of office and contract fraud involving sums running into billions of naira, but he pleaded not guilty to all the allegations.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Maryam Hassan of the High Court sitting at Gwarinpa, Abuja, which also adjourned the case to January 28 and 29, 2026, for trial.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Ngige to produce a surety who must be a civil servant not below the rank of a director and an owner of landed property within the FCT.
He was also directed to surrender his international passport and seek the court’s permission before travelling outside the country.
In her ruling, Justice Hassan held that the court has the discretion to grant bail, stressing that such discretion must be exercised judiciously. She dismissed the EFCC’s argument that the former minister had previously violated the terms of an administrative bail granted to him.
Arguing in support of the bail application, Ngige’s counsel, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, urged the court to release his client, describing bail as a constitutional right.
“The defendant is not an unknown person in this country. We are ready to fulfil any requirement your lordship will impose as a condition for bail,” he said, adding that his client was not in good health and that the correctional facility lacked adequate medical facilities.
However, the EFCC, through its lead counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, opposed the application, alleging that Ngige failed to return his international passport after travelling abroad for medical reasons.
The prosecution also argued that the weight of the charges could attract a minimum of five years’ imprisonment upon conviction.
Ngige, who served as Minister of Labour and Employment between November 11, 2015, and May 29, 2023, is facing allegations of using his office to confer unfair advantage on associates through the award of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) contracts valued at over N2.2 billion. The EFCC also accused him of receiving monetary gifts from contractors, offences said to be contrary to sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
