Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has recounted how her efforts to expose an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria were followed by threats and the kidnapping of her mother in 2012.

Okonjo-Iweala, who was Nigeria’s finance minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the kidnappers demanded that she resign from office and leave the country before her mother, Kamene Okonjo, would be released.

She said the abduction, which occurred in December 2012, subjected her family to five days of anguish and forced her to confront a painful choice between her public responsibilities and her mother’s safety.

According to her account, the crisis followed an investigation into suspicious claims submitted under Nigeria’s fuel subsidy programme. The investigation reportedly uncovered about $2.4 billion in fraudulent claims, prompting the government to withhold payments on the disputed transactions.

Okonjo-Iweala said she had raised concerns about the figures with the president and requested an audit of the accounts. After approval was granted, the review uncovered what she described as substantial fraud.

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The former minister said the refusal to pay the disputed claims was followed by threats against her, before her mother was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State.

The kidnappers reportedly sought to pressure her into abandoning her position in government, making her resignation a condition for her mother’s release.

Okonjo-Iweala said the experience was devastating, admitting that she considered leaving office because her mother’s life was more important to her than her position.

She recalled that her father, the late Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, encouraged her not to surrender to blackmail and urged her to continue her work.

Her mother eventually escaped after spending five days in captivity, bringing the ordeal to an end.

The incident exposed the personal risks associated with efforts to investigate alleged financial abuses in Nigeria’s petroleum subsidy system, which had long been dogged by questions over payments to fuel importers and the verification of claims.

Okonjo-Iweala later became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, taking office as Director-General in March 2021.

Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

FRSC Loses Ogun Sector Commander Days After Ex-Chief Dauda Biu’s Death

The Federal Road Safety Corps has suffered another loss with the death of its Ogun State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Oludare Ogunjobi, following a brief illness, barely a week after the death of former Corps Marshal Dauda Ali Biu.

The Ogun State Sector Command announced Ogunjobi’s death in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Chief Route Commander Afolabi Odunsi, describing the development as a major loss to the corps and the wider road safety community.

Ogunjobi’s death comes amid mourning within the FRSC over the passing of Biu, who died on October 11, 2026, at the age of 62. Biu served as the corps’ seventh substantive Corps Marshal from July 2022 to May 2024, having risen through the ranks after joining the organisation in 1988, according to a Punch report.

The successive losses have brought renewed attention to the people behind Nigeria’s road safety administration, whose responsibilities include traffic law enforcement, public enlightenment, emergency response and efforts to reduce road crashes across the country.

In its statement, the Ogun Command said Ogunjobi would be remembered for his leadership, commitment to road safety administration and dedication to the FRSC’s mandate.

“His passing is a great loss to the Corps, his colleagues, and the entire road safety community. He will be remembered for his service, leadership, commitment to road safety administration, and dedication to the mandate of the Federal Road Safety Corps,” the statement said.

The command noted that the late sector commander contributed to efforts to promote safer roads, strengthen public enlightenment campaigns, deepen engagement with stakeholders and improve compliance with traffic regulations during his service.

The command expressed condolences to Ogunjobi’s family, loved ones, colleagues and associates, while acknowledging the pain caused by his death.

It added that further information on funeral arrangements would be communicated in due course.

“His demise is deeply regretted,” the statement said, praying for strength for the bereaved family, the corps and others affected by the loss.

Kano: Soldiers Kill Two Kidnappers, Rescue Victim, Recover ₦10m

Kano: Soldiers Kill Two Kidnappers, Rescue Victim, Recover ₦10m