The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, December 15, 2025, opposed moves by a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige to secure bail after being arraigned before Justice M.A. Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gwarimpa Abuja.
Prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, told the court to approach the issue of bail for the former Minister with caution as he failed to return his international passport to the EFCC after being allowed to travel abroad on a medical trip. He undertook to return the passport but failed until he was arrested by the Commission.
“He made an undertaking that he will return the passport on November 19, 2025. 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 logical thing to do was to depose an affidavit of loss in the country. What does Nigerian police know about a loss of passport in the UK? What we are saying my Lord is that the defendant is in gross breach of the administrative bail granted by the EFCC. Suddenly he is asking this court to grant him bail in terms and conditions granted by the EFCC. Let us not shoot ourselves in the leg. The defendant is in violation of Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. He undermines and jeopardises the provision of ACJA. The totality of this case calls for extreme caution, we submit that the court should refuse the application and order for accelerated trial.”
The defendant counsel, Patrick Ikweato, SAN, has however asked the court to grant the defendant bail. “I am asking my lord to admit the defendant to bail, the appeals are there stated in the application, we rely on all the processes as well as the written application”, he said.
Justice Hassan adjourned the matter to Thursday, 18 December, 2025 for ruling on the application.
Ngige was arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged contract fraud and accepting gifts to the tune of N2,261,722, 535.84 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Sixty One Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty Five Naira, Eighty Four Kobo).
