The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has refuted social media claims suggesting that former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, was arrested by the Commission on Wednesday.

In a telephone interview with AIT on Thursday, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare clarified that Ngige was merely invited for questioning concerning certain activities that took place during his tenure as minister.

Bakare explained that the former Labour minister was not detained but was questioned and subsequently allowed to leave.

He added that Ngige was instructed to return on a specified date for further interrogation.

“The former Labour minister, Chris Ngige, was not arrested. He was invited for questioning related to his previous ministry’s activities. After the questioning, he was permitted to leave and asked to report back for further investigation,” Bakare stated.

The ICPC spokesperson urged the public to disregard the social media reports suggesting an arrest.

He also advised journalists to verify their information before publishing to avoid contributing to the spread of false information.

Bakare’s comments come amid a flurry of social media activity, with some users suggesting that Ngige’s purported arrest was linked to ongoing investigations into corruption.