The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, December 15, 2025, vehemently opposed the bail application of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who was arraigned before Justice M.A. Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwarimpa, Abuja. Ngige was arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged contract fraud and accepting gifts totaling over N2.261 billion. The dramatic courtroom face-off saw prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, urge the court to approach the issue of bail with extreme caution, citing the former Minister’s alleged breach of administrative bail terms. Alleged Passport Violation Tahir told the court that Ngige failed to return his international passport to the EFCC after being permitted to travel abroad for a medical trip. “He made an undertaking that he will return the passport on November 19, 2025,” Tahir stated. “The defendant could not obtain an affidavit of loss in the UK but rather chose to come back to Nigeria to obtain an affidavit, what stopped him from obtaining a relevant police report from London?” The prosecutor argued that Ngige’s actions were a “gross breach” of the administrative bail granted by the EFCC and jeopardized the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. > “The logical thing to do was to depose an affidavit of loss in the country,” Tahir insisted. “The totality of this case calls for extreme caution, we submit that the court should refuse the application and order for accelerated trial.” Defence Seeks Clemency In response, defense counsel, Patrick Ikweato, SAN, asked the court to grant the defendant bail, relying on all the processes and written applications previously filed. Following arguments from both sides, Justice Hassan adjourned the matter to Thursday, December 18, 2025, for a ruling on the bail application. Ngige is facing charges related to the alleged fraudulent acceptance of gifts and contract fraud amounting to N2,261,722,535.84.
Leave a Reply