Justice Maryam Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the remand of former Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the Kuje Correctional Centre as the court prepares to rule on his bail application.
The ruling was issued on Monday following arguments presented by both the defence and prosecution regarding Ngige’s request for bail. Justice Hassan has scheduled a ruling on the bail application for December 18.
Ngige’s counsel, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, advocated for his client’s release on bail, citing health concerns and assuring the court that the former governor of Anambra State would not abscond or interfere with witnesses if granted bail.
In contrast, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed the bail request vehemently. EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, argued that Ngige represented a flight risk, referencing a previous instance where the former minister was granted administrative bail for medical treatment abroad but failed to report back to the EFCC afterward. Tahir also noted that Ngige did not return the international passport that had been released to him for the trip.
The prosecution contended that it was only after Ngige’s re-arrest that he claimed his passport was lost, a claim Tahir described as an afterthought. He urged the court to reject the bail application as frivolous.
Ngige was arraigned last Friday on an eight-count charge related to alleged corrupt practices involving ₦2.2 billion.
