The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, December 15, 2025, opposed an application by a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, seeking bail following his arraignment before Justice M. A. Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja.
Arguing for the prosecution, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, urged the court to exercise extreme caution in considering the bail request, citing Ngige’s alleged failure to return his international passport to the EFCC after being granted permission to travel abroad for medical reasons. Tahir told the court that the defendant had undertaken to return the passport but failed to do so until he was eventually 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?” Tahir queried.
He further argued: “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.”
In response, counsel to the defendant, Patrick Ikweato, SAN, appealed to the court to admit Ngige to 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 subsequently adjourned the matter to Thursday, December 18, 2025, for ruling on the bail application.
Ngige is facing an eight-count charge bordering on alleged contract fraud and the acceptance of gifts amounting to ₦2,261,722,535.84 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty-Five Naira, Eighty-Four Kobo).
