Ex-Labour Minister Chris Ngige sent to Kuje Prison over an alleged ₦2.2bn contract fraud.

Ex-Labour Minister Chris Ngige sent to Kuje Prison over an alleged ₦2.2bn contract fraud.

Former labour minister Chris Ngige was on Friday brought before an Abuja High Court in Gwarinpa by the EFCC over an alleged ₦2.2bn contract fraud. Justice Maryam Hassan ordered his remand in Kuje prison ahead of his bail hearing scheduled for December 14.

Ngige pleaded not guilty to eight counts involving abuse of office and accepting gifts from contractors linked to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund during his tenure from 2015 to 2023.

After the plea, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) requested a trial date and urged the court to keep Ngige in custody pending the start of the proceedings.

Lead defence counsel Patrick Ikwueto (SAN) opposed the remand request, asking the court to grant bail on health grounds. He noted that Ngige had already spent three days in EFCC custody and insisted his client was a well-known public figure unlikely to abscond. He argued that the charges were not comparable to terrorism or treason and therefore should not justify a denial of bail.

He complained that the defence was not given time to respond to the prosecution’s application. The EFCC countered, stressing that the alleged offences were serious and carried potential prison terms of at least five years. The prosecution also disclosed that Ngige failed to return his passport after a medical trip in October.

The court adjourned the case to December 14 and ordered Ngige’s continued remand in Kuje prison.