A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who is facing an eight-count corruption charge, on Thursday secured bail from a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Maryam Hassan, adopted terms of an administrative bail the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) earlier granted to Ngige.
As part of his bail conditions, the defendant was ordered to produce a surety that must be a civil servant not below the rank of a director.
According to the court, the surety must equally be an owner of a landed property in the FCT, even as it ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport and not travel outside the country without permission.
Justice Hassan overruled a preliminary objection the anti-graft agency filed to oppose the ex-minister’s application for bail.
She held that the court had the power to exercise its discretion on the issue of bail.
The court held that such discretion must be discharged judicially and judiciously without the imposition of conditions that would appear unreasonable and arbitrary.
It subsequently adjourned the matter till January 28 and 29, 2026, for trial.
