An Abuja High Court on Friday remanded the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Kuje Correctional Centre. The trial Judge, Justice Maryam Hassan, issued the remand order after Ngige pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) preferred against him.

The court held that he should remain in detention till Monday, when his bail application will be heard. Ngige, who was in office as a minister from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, is facing trial over his alleged complicity in con- tract fraud totalling over N2.2 billion.

The former minister had arrived at the premises of the court, alongside a team of EFCC officials, at about 8:10 am. In the eight-count charge, marked: FCT/HC/ CR/726/2025, the former minister was the sole defendant. In the charge dated October 31 and filed on December 9 by a team of lawyers, led by Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Ngige was alleged to have committed the offences while serving as Minister of Labour under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

In count one, the defendant was alleged to have, between September 2015 and May 2023, while being the supervising Minister of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Cezimo Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles, is his associate.

Ngige was said to have awarded seven contracts for consultancy, training, and supply by the NSITF to the said company to the tune of N366,470,920.68 (Three Hundred and Sixty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty Naira and Sixty Eight Kobo). In count two, the defendant was alleged to have, while being the supervising Minister of NSITF, used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Zitacom Nigeria Limited, a company whose MD/CEO and alter ego, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles, is his associate.

Ngige was alleged to have awarded eight contracts for supply, training and consultancy, with NSITF, to the said company to the tune of N583,682,686.00 (Five Hundred and Eighty Three Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Six Naira) only.

Count three accused Ngige of using his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Jeff & Xris Limited, a company whose MD/ CEO and alter ego, Nwosu Jideofor Chukwunwike, is his associate, by the award of eight contracts for consultancy, training and supplies with NSITF to the said company to the tune of N362,043,163.16 (Three Hundred and Sixty Two Million, Forty Three Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Three Naira and Sixteen Kobo) only.

In count four, he was allegedly to have used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon Olde English Consolidated Limited, a company whose MD/ CEO and alter ego, Uzoma Igbonwa, is his associate.