A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, was on Wednesday, thoroughly grilled by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) regarding alleged malpractices related to the awarding of contracts at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Ngige, who served in former President Muhammadu Buhari's cabinet for eight years, oversaw the NSITF through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The fund has faced multiple corruption allegations over the years.

In January 2023, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Adebayo Aderibigbe, a former general manager at NSITF, with fraud related to the sum of N60,400,000.

Speaking, a source familiar with the matter said, “The former minister was invited, and he showed up and was released on Wednesday night.

“He should have been around, but he said he was out of the country. He was interrogated on many matters bordering on the award of contracts and job racketeering, among others under him. He was also grilled on the e-NSITF, which he got approval from FEC.”

When contacted, the spokesman for the ICPC, Demola Bakare, confirmed his invitation, adding that the former minister was released after he was interrogated.

Bakare said, “He was invited and interrogated on some issues and was released to go.