KEY POINTS

• A Federal Capital Territory High Court has granted former labour minister Chris Ngige bail after seven days in Kuje Prison

• The judge adopted EFCC administrative bail but imposed additional conditions, including a federal director as surety

• Ngige faces eight corruption-related charges linked to alleged NSITF contract awards and cash gifts totalling over N2 billion

A Federal Capital Territory High Court has granted bail to former labour minister Chris Ngige on what it described as liberal terms, a week after he was remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre over alleged corruption involving more than N2 billion.

Justice Maryam Aliyu Hassan ruled on Thursday that the offences Ngige is facing are bailable and that the constitution presumes him innocent until proven otherwise. The judge adopted the administrative bail earlier granted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, allowing the former minister to be released on self-recognisance, subject to additional conditions set by the court.

As part of the ruling, the court ordered Ngige to provide a surety who must be a serving director in the federal civil service. The surety is required to own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory, supported by a valid certificate of occupancy, the original of which must be deposited with the court. The director must also surrender an international passport to the court registrar.

Until those conditions are met, Ngige will remain in custody at Kuje Prison.

Court cautions against excessive bail demands

In delivering her decision, Justice Hassan stressed that courts must guard against imposing harsh or unrealistic bail conditions that effectively amount to a denial of bail.

She said the judiciary has a duty to strike a balance between ensuring a defendant’s attendance at trial and upholding fundamental rights, adding that bail terms should not be used as a punitive measure before guilt is established.

Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State, was arraigned on December 12 on an eight-count charge brought by the EFCC. He pleaded not guilty to all the allegations.

His lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, a senior advocate of Nigeria, argued the bail application on December 15. The request was strongly opposed by the prosecution, led by Sylvanus Tahir, also a senior advocate, who told the court that Ngige had previously jumped bail granted by the anti-graft agency.

The prosecution argued that the former minister failed to return travel documents released to him by the EFCC and did not report back to the commission until he was rearrested, grounds it said justified continued detention.

Justice Hassan has fixed January 28 and 29 for the commencement of trial.

The charges, marked FCT/HC/CR/726/2025, relate to alleged offences committed between September 2015 and May 2023, when Ngige served as minister of labour and employment under former president Muhammadu Buhari and supervised the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.

According to the charge sheet, Ngige is accused of using his position to award multiple consultancy, training, supply and construction contracts to companies allegedly linked to associates. The contracts, spread across five counts, are valued at more than N2.1 billion.

The EFCC also alleges that Ngige corruptly received cash gifts totalling about N119 million through organisations linked to him, including a campaign group and a scholarship scheme, from contractors doing business with the NSITF.

The alleged offences fall under sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, which criminalise the abuse of office and the receipt of gratification in the course of official duties.