•Chris Ngige (C) in court today
Justice Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the remand of a former governor of Anambra State and ex-Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, at the Kuje Correctional Center.
Ngige, who was arraigned on an alleged corruption charge, will remain in Kuje Correctional Centre until Monday, when his bail application will be heard, reports Channels TV.
The minister was specifically charged with conferring unfair advantage on his associates in the award of several contracts when he held office as minister between 2015 and 2023.
He was also accused of corruptly accepting gifts of several million naira through his organizations while he was in office.
The ex-minister, however, pleaded not guilty to all the eighth-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, his bail application could not be taken as it was served on the prosecution shortly before the court proceeded.
His lead counsel, Patrick Ikweato (SAN), pleaded with the court to admit the former minister on health grounds, pending the hearing of the bail.
But the request was opposed by EFCC’s Counsel Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), on claims that the former minister was a flight risk, adding that he would respond formally to the bail application.
In a short ruling, Justice Hassan adjourned till Monday, December 15, for the hearing in the bail application.
In the charge marked: FCT/HC/CR/726/2025, the former minister in count one was alleged to have used his position as Minister of Labour and Employment and the Supervising Minister of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), “to confer an unfair advantage upon Cezimo Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles is your associate, by the award of Seven different contracts for consultancy, training and supply by the NSITF to the said company to the tune of N366,470,920.68 among other charges”.
