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

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recounted the harrowing details of her mother’s abduction, revealing that the kidnapping was directly tied to her investigation of an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud during her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance.

Okonjo-Iweala shared the grim experience during an exclusive interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua, disclosing that the kidnappers explicitly demanded her resignation and immediate departure from the country as conditions for her mother’s release.

Recalling the events that triggered the ordeal, she explained that her ministry noticed an unprecedented surge in subsidy claims, which prompted her to launch an internal audit.

Reflecting on her intervention, Okonjo-Iweala stated, So I went to the president and said, look, something is going on here. Could we audit the accounts? And he said, yes, go ahead.

She added, And we found about $2.4 billion worth of fraud. So we refused to pay.

Shortly after halting the fraudulent payouts, her mother, Professor Kamene Okonjo, was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, in December 2012.

The former minister described the subsequent five-day ordeal as one of the darkest and most painful chapters of her life.

Detailing the kidnappers’ demands, she remarked, I was told that for her to be released, I should resign and leave the country.

Describing the conditions of her mother’s captivity and daring escape, she noted, She was held in the middle of a forest, and one night she escaped. She’s still alive. She’s 96 now.

Admitting the psychological toll of the incident, Okonjo-Iweala confessed that she was initially paralyzed by fear and seriously contemplated stepping down, an experience that left her with lingering feelings of survivor’s guilt.

She reflected, I never dreamt my parents could ever be touched in this way, that people would be that evil.

Crediting her late father’s resilience for keeping her strong, she recalled his firm counsel during the crisis: He said, ‘We don’t give in to blackmail’. And he said, ‘You’ve got to carry on. You’ve got to go to work’.

Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s coordinating minister of the economy and minister of finance under former President Goodluck Jonathan, spearheading major anti-corruption and transparency reforms before assuming global leadership at the WTO.