Ex-Minister of Labour Chris Ngige Granted Bail by FCT High Court

Ex-Minister of Labour Chris Ngige Granted Bail by FCT High Court

Abuja, Nigeria — Six days after being remanded in EFCC custody, former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has been granted bail by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting at Gwarinpa, Abuja. Ngige faces an eight-count corruption charge involving alleged contract fraud totaling over N2.2 billion.

The ruling was delivered on Thursday by Justice Maryam Hassan, who adopted the terms of administrative bail previously granted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Among the bail conditions, Ngige is required to produce a surety who is a civil servant not below the rank of director and also owns landed property in the FCT. The court also ordered him to surrender his international passport and prohibited him from travelling abroad without prior permission.

Justice Hassan overruled a preliminary objection filed by the EFCC, stating that the court had the discretion to grant bail and that such discretion must be exercised judicially and judiciously, without imposing unreasonable conditions. The trial was adjourned to January 28 and 29, 2026.

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Ngige, who served as Minister from November 2015 to May 2023, was arraigned by the EFCC on December 12 for alleged complicity in awarding contracts to firms linked to his associates, in violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. The charges include abuse of office, contract fraud, and allegations that he accepted kickbacks from contractors under the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The EFCC alleged that Ngige approved multiple contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira to companies owned or controlled by his associates, including Cezimo Nigeria Limited, Zitacom Nigeria Limited, Jeff & Xris Limited, Olde English Consolidated Limited, and Shale Atlantic Intercontinental Services Limited. The prosecution also accused him of receiving monetary gifts totaling over N119 million from these firms through his campaign organization and other schemes.

Ngige’s defense counsel, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, argued that the offenses were bailable and that his client’s health and time spent in custody warranted his release. He also emphasized that the charges did not carry capital punishment, describing them as standard corruption allegations subject to trial.

The EFCC, represented by Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, had opposed bail, citing the weight of the charges and alleged violations of prior administrative bail conditions, including the failure to return his international passport after travelling abroad for medical purposes in October.

Ex-Minister of Labour Chris Ngige Granted Bail by FCT High Court