Okonjo-Iweala’s Kidnapped Mum: Kidnappers Reduce Ransom To N200million

Following the family’s refusal to earlier negotiate, the kidnappers of Finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother have reduced their asking ransom to N200million.

ThisDay reports that the abductors who telephoned the family at noon on Monday, initially demanded to speak with Okonjo-Iweala, but were not allowed to do so. Rather, they were made to speak with the eldest son of the victim, Onyema, who relocated to Ogwashi-Uku on Monday to coordinate the release of his mother.

The 82 year-old woman was abducted on Sunday 9th December 2012, at the gate of the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, who is her husband.

It was learnt that the abductors first demanded the resignation of the minister as a precondition for the release of her mother.

Security sources said Onyema, however, insisted on speaking with his mother to ascertain the state of her health and to be sure that he was not dealing with impostors before he could negotiate with the abductors.

After he had spoken with his mother, whom sources said was alive and well despite the trauma, the kidnappers changed their demand by asking Okonjo-Iweala to bring the money the Federal Government had recovered from oil marketers who had abused the fuel subsidy scheme.

Further negotiations with the kidnappers made them reduce the ransom from N1 billion to N200 million, it was learnt. “We are waiting and hope that progress can be made,” one of the sources told THISDAY.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, however denied the report that the kidnappers were demanding $1 billion ransom.  He added that the police had arrested the queen’s police orderly, who was supposed to be on duty on the day she was kidnapped, another policeman and two domestic staff in the palace over the incident.