A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Gwaripa, Abuja, has adjourned until December 18 to rule on the bail application filed by former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, who is currently in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Maryam Hassan fixed the date on Tuesday after hearing arguments from both the defence and the prosecution on Ngige’s request for bail.
Ngige’s counsel urged the court to grant bail, arguing that the former minister is not a flight risk. The lawyer told the court that Ngige had earlier enjoyed administrative bail granted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before his recent arrest. He added that the EFCC had previously released Ngige’s international passport to enable him travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
According to the defence, Ngige misplaced the passport while abroad and later returned to Nigeria using a travel certificate. His lawyer maintained that these circumstances showed the defendant’s willingness to cooperate with authorities.
However, the prosecution, led by Sylvanus Tahir, opposed the bail application, faulting Ngige’s conduct over the alleged loss of his passport. Tahir argued that Ngige failed to immediately notify the EFCC upon his return to Nigeria, noting that the former minister only swore an affidavit of loss at the Maitama Police Station after his arrest, which he described as “an afterthought.”
The prosecution further contended that under immigration regulations, the loss of travel documents should be reported to the police in the country where the loss occurred, not after returning to Nigeria.
After listening to submissions from both sides, Justice Hassan adjourned the matter to December 18 for a ruling on the bail application.
Ngige was earlier arraigned by the EFCC on an eight-count charge bordering on corruption. The anti-graft agency alleges that he abused his office to confer undue advantages on companies linked to his associates and received kickbacks from those entities.
