From Fred Chukwuelobe
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will possibly today charge immediate past minister of labour and productivity and former Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige to court.
Dr. Ngige was yesterday whisked away from his residence in Abuja by about 20 EFCC officers from its Zonal office, Wuse II, Abuja, in what a family member described as “commando style raid. He was not allowed to change his clothes and was taken away still wearing his pyjamas,” the family member alleged.
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. Dr. Ngige had before yesterday’s arrest, allegedly been in contact with the agency and was cooperating with it. He was asked to return his travel documents to the agency.
However, he embarked on a medical trip to the United States (US) and on getting to the United Kingdom (UK), enroute the US, lost his passport and had to abort the trip and returned to Nigeria. He secured travel documents from the Nigeria High Commission in the UK with which he was able to travel back to Abuja.
Upon returning to Abuja, the two-time minister in the Buhari administration was said to have drafted a letter which he allegedly intended to forward to the EFCC informing it of the loss of his travel documents; that he had no passport to return to the agency.
He was yet to submit the letter when officers of the agency stormed his residence on Justice Mohammed Bello Road, Asokoro, Abuja and whisked him away.
Dr. Ngige is said to have expressed surprise at his arrest when he had not violated the terms of his administrative bail and had cooperated with the agency in its statutory duties.
It was gathered that he will be charged to court which will now hear arguments from his lawyers and possibly grant him bail.
More details later.
