How My Mother Was Kidnapped Over $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud — Okonjo-Iweala

World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recounted how her investigation into an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria led to the kidnapping of her mother in 2012.

Okonjo-Iweala shared the experience during an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua, recalling how the incident became one of the most painful periods of her life.

She explained that her office had noticed a sharp increase in fuel subsidy claims, prompting her to approach the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, to request an audit of the accounts.

According to her, the investigation uncovered about $2.4 billion in alleged fraud, after which the government refused to make the disputed payments.

She said her mother, Kamene Okonjo, was kidnapped shortly afterwards. The kidnappers reportedly demanded that she resign as Minister of Finance and leave Nigeria in exchange for her mother’s release.

Okonjo-Iweala described the ordeal as a terrifying five-day experience, saying her mother was held in a forest before eventually escaping one night.

Her mother, who was 82 at the time of the December 2012 abduction, is now 96, according to Okonjo-Iweala.

The WTO chief admitted that she initially felt paralysed by fear and considered resigning from her position. She also said the incident left her with a lingering sense of guilt.

She recalled that she had never imagined her parents could become targets of such violence and described the experience as the worst period of her life.

Okonjo-Iweala also recounted her father’s response to the crisis. According to her, he urged her not to give in to blackmail and encouraged her to continue carrying out her duties.

Kamene Okonjo was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, in December 2012, while her daughter was serving as Nigeria’s Finance Minister under Jonathan.