Alleged N2.2bn Fraud: Ex-Minister Ngige To Remain In Prison Till December 18

Justice Maryam Hassan of the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered that the former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, be kept at Kuje Correctional Centre till December 18.

Meanwhile, the ruling on the motion for his bail is expected to be delivered on the next adjourned date.

Justice Hassan issued the order on Monday shortly after taking arguments for and against the bail request of the former governor of Anambra State.

Ngige’s lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, pleaded with the Judge to admit the former minister to bail on various reasons but mainly on health ground.

He submitted that the former Minister would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses if admitted to bail.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by Sylvanus Tahir, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), vehemently opposed the bail request, insisting that Ngige was a flight risk.

He told the court that the defendant was granted administrative bail by EFCC and allowed to travel abroad for medical care but never reported back to EFCC.

Besides, he said that the international passport released to him to facilitate the abroad trip was never returned till today.

The senior lawyer argued that it was when Ngige was re-arrested that he came up with a purported claims that he lost his passport.

Insisting that the claims of passport loss was an afterthought and should not be believed by the Court, Tahir urged the court to dismiss the bail request for being frivolous.

After the submissions, Justice Hassan fixed December 18 to deliver ruling on the bail request.

Ngige was last Friday slammed with 8-count charge of corrupt practices to the tune of N2.2billion.