Fresh details in Chris Ngige’s EFCC corruption trial: PW1 Pedro Torwuese Chellen testifies that an N80m NSITF Makurdi office contract was given to a company that skipped bidding, later inflated to N120m
Witness Drops Bombshell: Ngige Oversaw N80m NSITF Contract Awarded to Non-Bidder
A dramatic revelation unfolded in the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gwarimpa, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, as the first prosecution witness (PW1) in the corruption trial of former Anambra State Governor and ex-Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, alleged serious procurement irregularities at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Testifying before Justice M.A. Hassan, entrepreneur and project manager Pedro Torwuese Chellen of Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited claimed the N80 million contract for renovating the NSITF office in Makurdi, Benue State, was awarded to a company that never participated in the public bidding process—despite his firm responding to a newspaper advertisement and competing fully.
Led by EFCC prosecutor Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, Chellen explained how his company, after losing the bid, sought clarification from NSITF management without success. He then appealed to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which confirmed the award bypassed legitimate bidders.
Frustrated, his company petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) via lawyers. The EFCC invited him, recorded statements, and tendered the petition with attached bid documents as Exhibit P1 in court.
Chellen narrated: his firm applied after seeing the ad, lost the bid, requested award details from NSITF (no response), approached BPP, and learned the winner hadn’t bid at all.
Under cross-examination by defense counsel P.I.N. Ikwueto, SAN, Chellen clarified his petition targeted the NSITF management board. He highlighted further alleged manipulations: the contract title changed from “Renovation of Makurdi Office” to “Construction of Makurdi Office,” and the sum ballooned from N80 million to N120 million.
While confirming his EFCC statement dated to 2023, Chellen remarked on “massive corruption in NSITF” but noted he never attended board meetings—learning of its later reconstitution through media reports.
The trial, part of broader EFCC charges accusing Ngige of abusing office to confer unfair advantages via NSITF contracts worth over N2.2 billion (including multi-million naira deals to associates), was adjourned to Thursday, January 29, 2026, for continuation.
The case continues to draw intense scrutiny as Nigeria’s anti-graft agency presses ahead with evidence of alleged procurement breaches under Ngige’s ministerial supervision from 2015 to 2023.
