Alex Enumah in Abuja
Justice Maryam Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Thursday, granted bail to former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, arraigned on corruption charges.
Justice Hassan, who adopted the administrative bail earlier granted Ngige by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), held that the offence for which the former Anambra governor was charged with is a bail-able offence.
Nigige, who was minister for eight years in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was last week Friday arraigned on an eight-count charge of corrupt practices.
He was then remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, till Monday for hearing in his bail application.
However, the judge adjourned till Thursday for ruling, shortly after the application was moved by his lawyer and same opposed by the prosecution.
Delivering ruling on Thursday, Justice Hassan besides stating that the offence is a bail-able one, remarked that courts need not impose outlandish, excessive, harsh and stringent bail conditions on defendants, as doing so could amount to refusal of bail in the first instance.
She subsequently admitted Ngige to bail on the same terms earlier granted the defendant by the EFCC, adding that Ngige should produce a surety who must be a Director in a Federal Government employment.
The Director must have landed property in the FCT with Certificate of Occupancy and must deposit the original copy of the certificate with the court.
Besides, the Director must deposit his international travel passport with the court registrar, which would then be returned to him, after the defendant has obtained his new international passport to be deposited with the court.
Ngige, who spent eight years as labour 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 millions of naira through his organizations, while he was in office.
He however pleaded not guilty to all the eighth-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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”.
In count two, the former minister was alleged to have used his position to confer an unfair advantage “upon Zitacom Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles is your associate, by the award of eight different contracts for supply, training and consultancy, with the NSITF, to the said company to the tune of N583,682,686.00”.
In count six, the anti-graft agency alleged that Ngige had sometime between May 2022 and June 2022 in Abuja, “did corruptly accept a gift, to wit: the sum of N38,650,000 only through your organization called Senator (Dr) Chris Nwabueze Ngige Campaign Organization from Cezimo Nigeria Limited (Zenith Bank Account Number 1011901119), a contractor with the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), while performing your official act as Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 17(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 179(c) of the same Act”.
