A prosecution witness on Wednesday told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Gwarimpa, Abuja, that a company which did not participate in the bidding process was awarded an N80 million contract for the renovation of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) office in Makurdi, Benue State, during the tenure of Chris Ngige, former Governor of Anambra State and ex-Minister of Labour.
Pedro Torwuese Chellen, the witness, appeared as the first prosecution witness (PW1) in the ongoing trial before M.A. Hassan (Justice).
Chellen, an entrepreneur and project manager of Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited, gave his testimony while being led in evidence by Sylvanus Tahir, prosecution counsel.
According to Chellen, the renovation contract for the NSITF Makurdi office was advertised, prompting his company to apply and participate fully in the bidding process.
However, he told the court that Imanil Haq Nigeria Limited later discovered that the contract was awarded to another company which did not submit any bid.
He said the discovery compelled his company to brief its lawyers to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging irregularities in the contract award process.
Chellen disclosed that following the petition, he was invited by the EFCC, where he made statements and submitted relevant documents to investigators.
In court, the witness identified the petition and the bid documents attached to it, which were subsequently admitted in evidence as Exhibit P1.
Chellen further said that after his company lost the bid, he formally wrote to the management of the NSITF requesting details on how the contract was awarded.
He said the request yielded no response, prompting him to escalate the matter to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
According to him, findings by the BPP revealed that the contract was awarded to a company that did not take part in the bidding process, contrary to public procurement regulations.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, P.I.N. Ikwueto, the witness clarified that his petition was directed against the management board of the NSITF.
He also raised concerns over what he described as irregular changes to the contract, including the alteration of its title from “Renovation of Makurdi Office” to “Construction of Makurdi Office.”
Chellen further alleged that the contract sum was increased from the initial ₦80 million to N120 million by the NSITF management board. He confirmed that he made these statements to the EFCC in 2023.
While admitting that he was not a member of the NSITF board and did not attend any of its management meetings, the witness told the court that he later learned through media reports that the board was eventually reconstituted.
He also alleged that there was “massive corruption” within the NSITF at the time.
According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s Spokesman, Hassan adjourned the matter to January 29, 2026, for continuation of trial.
