Justice Maryam Aliyu Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has finally admitted former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, to liberal bail pending the trial of charges against him.

The judge, yesterday, adopted the administrative bail earlier granted to the former governor of Anambra State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on self-recognition as part of the bail conditions.

In addition, however, Justice Hassan ordered Ngige to produce a surety who must be a director in the Federal Government employment.

The director must have landed property in the FCT with a Certificate of Occupancy and must deposit the original copy of the certificate with the court.

Besides, the director must deposit his international travel passport with the court registrar.

Pending the perfection of the bail conditions, the former minister is to remain at Kuje prison on remand.

In yesterday’s ruling, Justice Hassan agreed that the charges against Ngige were bailable offences and that the constitution of the country presumes him innocent until the contrary is established.

The judge also highlights the need for law courts not to impose outlandish, excessive, harsh and stringent bail conditions on defendants as doing so could amount to refusal of bail in the first instance.

Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State, was on December 12 arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge of corrupt practices.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, on December 15, argued his bail application but was vehemently opposed by the EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, who claimed that he had jumped the earlier one granted him by the anti-graft agency.

Tahir also predicated his objections to the bail on the ground that the travelling documents released to Ngige to travel abroad were not returned to EFCC, while he also refused to report to the organisation until he was re-arrested.

Meanwhile, Justice Hassan has fixed January 28 and 29 for the trial of the charges.

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 Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Ngige was accused of committing the offences while serving as Minister of Labour under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

In count one, Ngige was said 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.

There were seven other counts.