Anambra

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Gwarimpa has granted bail to former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, who is standing trial over alleged financial misconduct. Ngige is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge bordering on abuse of office and acceptance of gifts valued at about ₦2.2 billion. The alleged offences are linked to gifts reportedly received from contractors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) during his tenure as supervising minister between September 2015 and May 2023. In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Mariam Hassan ordered that Ngige be admitted to bail on the same terms as the administrative bail earlier granted him by the EFCC. Read Also: One-Party State Allegations Baseless, APC Governors Tell Nigerians The court directed the former minister to provide a surety who must be a director-level officer and own landed property within the court’s jurisdiction. Justice Hassan also ruled that since Ngige claimed his international passport was misplaced, the surety must deposit his own international passport with the court. The passport will be released only after Ngige produces a replacement for his own. The judge adjourned the case to January 28 and 29 next year for the commencement of trial.

Media aide to former Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige, Mr. Fred Chukwuelobe, has dismissed viral reports claiming that the ex-minister was kidnapped, clarifying that he is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Rumours of Ngige’s alleged abduction spread late Monday, prompting concern among associates and members of the public. Chukwuelobe said he had been inundated with calls from friends and journalists seeking verification of the claim. “I have been receiving calls in the past hour from friends and journalists seeking the veracity of the news making the rounds that His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige, former Governor of Anambra State and immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, ‘has been kidnapped,’” he wrote on Facebook. Read Also: President Tinubu Orders Withdrawal of Police Escorts From Ministers, Top Officials “Ngige is with the EFCC. He was not ‘abducted’ or ‘kidnapped’,” he added, noting that further details would be provided in due course. Efforts to obtain confirmation from the EFCC were unsuccessful, as Dele Oyewale, the Commission’s spokesperson, did not respond to calls or text messages. Ngige has recently been in the news after his convoy came under attack on November 27 along the Nkpor–Nnobi road in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State. During the incident, gunmen disguised in military and police uniforms opened fire on his convoy, killing a woman who was filming the attack and injuring a police officer and other civilians. Ngige was not in the convoy at the time.