Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
THE Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has disclosed that her investigation into an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud led to the kidnapping of her mother in December 2012.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua on the Leaders programme, the former Nigerian Minister of Finance revealed that the abductors demanded her resignation and departure from the country as conditions for her mother’s release.
According to Dr Okonjo-Iweala, the incident followed an investigation into suspicious increases in subsidy payment claims submitted by petroleum importers under the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy programme.
She explained that she sought presidential approval to audit the subsidy accounts after discovering irregularities in the payment claims.
“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. And we found about $2.4 billion worth of fraud. So we refused to pay,” she recalled.
The WTO chief said the decision to withhold the disputed payments triggered threats against her, culminating in the abduction of her mother, Kamene Okonjo, from her residence in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, in December 2012.
“I was told that for her to be released, I should resign and leave the country,” she disclosed.
Describing the five-day ordeal as one of the most traumatic experiences of her life, Dr Okonjo-Iweala said she feared that her efforts to fight corruption could cost her mother her life.
“It was a terrible, terrible five-day ordeal. I think the worst in my life,” she said.
She explained that her mother was held captive in a forest before eventually escaping at night.
“She was held in the middle of a forest, and one night she escaped. She’s still alive. She’s 96 now,” she stated.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala admitted that she considered resigning from office to secure her mother’s freedom but was discouraged by her father, who insisted that the family should not surrender to blackmail.
“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,” she recalled.
The former minister maintained that her mother’s safety was more important than her position in government, stressing that she would have willingly sacrificed her appointment to save her life.
“Between my mother, having my mother alive and staying in a job, I would pick my mother any day,” she said.
Reflecting on the incident, Dr Okonjo-Iweala said the experience strengthened her determination to confront corruption and protect public resources, particularly in developing countries.
“I feel that this is a real fight that has to be waged. If you are a country that is not that rich, every single penny counts,” she emphasised.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance under former President Goodluck Jonathan before assuming office as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation in March 2021.
