Justice Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the remand of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.
Ngige was arraigned before the court on Thursday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge bordering on corruption, abuse of office, and conferring undue advantage on associates during his tenure as minister between 2015 and 2023.
According to the EFCC, the former minister allegedly conferred “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 ₦366,470,920.68 among other charges.”
Ngige was also accused of receiving monetary gifts worth several millions of naira through his private organizations while in office.
Upon his arraignment, the former minister pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
EFCC Arraigns Ngige On ₦2.2bn Corruption Allegations pic.twitter.com
EFCC Arraigns Ngige On ₦2.2bn Corruption Allegations pic.twitter.com/tKYZKhDT5f
— Channels Television (@channelstv) December 12, 2025
The defence team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Patrick Ikweato, urged the court to grant Ngige bail on health grounds pending the formal hearing of the bail application. However, the EFCC’s lead counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), opposed the request, arguing that the former minister posed a flight risk and that the prosecution needed time to respond formally to the application.
Justice Hassan noted that the bail application had only been served on the prosecution shortly before the commencement of proceedings. Consequently, the court deferred the consideration of bail and adjourned the matter until Monday, December 15, for hearing.
Until then, Ngige will remain, again, in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
