Immediate past Minister of Labour and Productivity and former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, may soon be arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
An Abuja source close to the anti-graft body gave this indication on Thursday.
Persecondnews reports that the development follows Dr. Ngige’s arrest on December 10, where about 20 EFCC officers from the Wuse II Zonal office apprehended him at his Abuja residence.
A member of his family alleged that the operation was conducted in a “commando-style raid,” and that Dr. Ngige was hustled into a vehicle without being allowed to change, still dressed in his “pyjamas.”
Persecondnews recalls that the former governor had been on “an administrative bail” from the EFCC after he was invited by the agency and questioned for some undisclosed reasons.
Prior to his arrest, Dr. Chris Ngige had reportedly been cooperating with the EFCC, which included surrendering his travel documents to the agency.
The sequence of events leading to his apprehension began when the former minister embarked on a medical trip to the United States.
While en route in the United Kingdom, he tragically lost his passport, forcing him to abandon the trip and return to Nigeria.
He secured temporary travel documents from the Nigeria High Commission in the UK to facilitate his return to Abuja.
Upon arrival, the two-time Buhari administration minister immediately drafted a letter intended for the EFCC, informing them of the lost passport and his inability to return the required travel documents.
However, before he could submit this official correspondence, EFCC officers stormed his residence on Justice Mohammed Bello Road, Asokoro, Abuja, and took him into custody.
Ngige is said to have expressed genuine surprise at his arrest, maintaining that he had not violated the terms of his administrative bail and had consistently cooperated with the anti-graft agency in its statutory duties.
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