Court upholds Ngige’s bail, but he must find serving director, FCT landowner as surety

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Thursday ordered Chris Ngige, a former Minister of Labour and Employment, to continue enjoying the administrative bail earlier granted him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but with fresh conditions.

Maryam Hassan (Justice) gave the ruling while delivering a decision on a bail application filed by Ngige and argued by his lead counsel, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN).

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In her ruling, the judge directed the former minister to produce a surety who must be a serving director in the employment of the Federal Government and also own a landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

Hassan further ordered that the surety must deposit the title documents of the landed property with the court, alongside his travel documents, pending the recovery of Ngige’s international passport.

Ngige had told the court that his passport was stolen in the United Kingdom during a trip he undertook after the EFCC granted him administrative bail.

Although the EFCC had earlier released Ngige on self-recognition, the court ruled that he would remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre until the bail conditions are fully perfected.

Ngige is facing an eight-count charge of alleged contract fraud amounting to N2.2 billion in a case marked FCT/HC/CR/726/2025, instituted against him by the EFCC.

He is the sole defendant in the charge dated October 31 and filed on December 9, 2025, by EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN).

The charges border on alleged abuse of office and acceptance of gifts valued at about N2.2 billion.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Ngige received the said benefits from contractors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) while serving as supervising minister between September 2015 and May 2023 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former minister was arraigned on December 12 and pleaded not guilty to all eight counts.

At the hearing of the bail application on December 15, the EFCC urged the court to deny Ngige bail, arguing that he breached the terms of an earlier bail by failing to return his travel documents and by refusing to report to the commission until he was re-arrested.

However, Ngige’s counsel countered the prosecution’s arguments, urging the court to grant bail on health grounds.

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He maintained that the alleged offences were bailable and not capital in nature, and that the defendant posed no flight risk.

In her ruling, Hassan held that the offences for which Ngige was charged were bailable and reaffirmed the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

She cautioned against imposing excessive or overly stringent bail conditions, noting that such measures could amount to a denial of bail.

Consequently, the court granted the former minister bail on liberal terms, subject to the fulfillment of the new conditions.

The matter was adjourned to January 28 and 29, 2026, for the commencement of trial.