A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, was on Friday arraigned before an Abuja High Court sitting in Gwarinpa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged N2.2bn contract fraud. Justice Maryam Hassan ordered that the former minister be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application, fixed for Monday, December 14.
Ngige pleaded not guilty to eight counts bordering on abuse of office and acceptance of gifts from contractors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund while he served as its supervising minister between September 2015 and May 2023, but After the plea, EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), applied for a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendant.
However, the defence lead counsel, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), opposed the EFCC’s submission and urged the court to grant his client bail on health grounds, noting that the former minister had been in EFCC custody for three days prior to the arraignment.
