The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday opened its case against a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, as a prosecution witness narrated alleged contract irregularities in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund under his supervision.
Ngige, who served as minister between November 11, 2015, and May 29, 2023, is facing an eight-count charge bordering on abuse of office, acceptance of gratification and contract fraud amounting to over N2.2bn.
He was arraigned on December 12, 2025, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Gwarinpa.
At the resumed hearing, the EFCC called its first witness, Mr Pedro Chele, whose petition allegedly triggered investigations into contract awards at the NSITF. Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Chele told the court that he uncovered breaches of due process in the award of contracts, prompting him to write petitions to both the EFCC and the Bureau of Public Procurement.
Chele, an entrepreneur and project manager with Imanihad Nigeria Limited, said his firm responded in 2017 to an advertisement in The Guardian newspaper for the renovation of the NSITF office in Makurdi, Benue State.
“My company was pre-qualified and submitted its financial bid, but for a long time we received no response. I wrote to the management of NSITF but got no satisfactory explanation,” he told the court.
He said he escalated the matter to the BPP, which subsequently wrote to the NSITF requesting details of the contract, a request he said was declined.
Chele added that he later discovered that the contract was awarded to Altitude Global Links Limited, a company he claimed did not participate in the bidding process.
“Later, I found out that the company that the contract was awarded to was not part of the process,” he said.
According to the witness, his lawyers petitioned the EFCC in 2023, leading to investigations into the activities of the NSITF.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, Chele admitted that his petition was initially against the management of the NSITF and not individual board members.
He also confirmed that the original renovation contract he bid N85m for was later altered to a completion contract valued at N120m.
He told the court that he neither received a letter of award nor executed any agreement with the NSITF over the Makurdi project.
Chele further admitted that after writing to the BPP, NSITF officials invited him and appealed to him to drop the matter, promising that his company would be considered for other contracts.
He said his firm was later awarded two contracts of N10m each, although one was eventually withdrawn.
“I did not bid for those contracts, and I did not attend any NSITF board meeting,” he added, noting that he later learnt through media reports that the NSITF board was reconstituted following his petition.
Asked whether the subsequent contracts awarded to his firm followed due process, Chele said he could not tell, as he was not a staff member of the NSITF.
Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Maryam Hassan admitted Chele’s petitions to the EFCC and BPP in evidence and marked them as Exhibit P1, despite objections by the defence.
Ikwueto, SAN, said he would address the admissibility of the documents in his final written address.
Justice Hassan adjourned the matter till Thursday for the continuation of cross-examination.
Ngige, who was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre after his arraignment, was released on bail on December 18, 2025, after spending six days in custody.
As part of his bail conditions, the court ordered him to produce a surety who must be a civil servant not below the rank of a director and an owner of landed property in the FCT with valid title documents.
He was also restrained from travelling outside the country without the court’s permission.
In the charge marked CR/726/2025, the EFCC alleged that Ngige used his office to confer unfair advantage on Cezimo Nigeria Limited, linked to one of his associates, by approving seven NSITF consultancy, training and supply contracts valued at N366,470,920.68, contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The commission further alleged that between September 2015 and May 2023, Ngige facilitated the award of eight contracts worth N583,682,686 to Zitacom Nigeria Limited, allegedly linked to another associate, Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles, as well as eight contracts valued at N362,043,163.16 to Jeff & Xris Limited, linked to Nwosu Chukwunwike.
He is also accused in count four of influencing four contracts worth N668,138,141 in favour of Olde English Consolidated Limited, allegedly belonging to his associate, Uzoma Igbonwa, and another four contracts valued at N161,604,625 awarded through Shale Atlantic Intercontinental Services Limited.
The EFCC further alleged that between May and June 2022, the former minister corruptly received monetary gifts from NSITF contractors, including N38.65m from Cezimo Nigeria Limited through his campaign organisation, N55.003m from Zitacom Nigeria Limited via his scholarship scheme and N26.13m from Jeff & Xris Limited.
The offences are said to be contrary to Sections 17(a) and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
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