Former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, on Friday entered a plea of not guilty to an eight-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Ngige was arraigned before Justice Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gwarinpa, where he is accused of irregularly awarding eight contracts for supply, training and consultancy worth ₦583,682,686 while overseeing the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.
During the proceedings, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir urged the court to set a date for the commencement of trial and requested that the former minister be remanded pending the hearing.
Tahir told the court, “My Lord, we ask for an adjournment for trial, and in the interim, we pray that the defendant be kept in the custody of the Commission.”
Defence counsel, however, argued that Ngige had already spent three days in EFCC custody, stressing that he was neither a flight risk nor an unknown figure.
He appealed to the court to consider his client’s past public service and health challenges.
According to him, “The defendant is a former minister and a well-known public figure.
He has been in custody for the past three days. We are prepared to meet any bail condition this Honourable Court may impose.”
The lawyer further noted that Ngige’s health condition required urgent medical attention, adding, “My Lord, the defendant is not in good health and needs to get to the hospital. We ask the court to take his service to the nation into cognisance.”
Justice Hassan is expected to rule on the bail application after considering arguments from both sides.
