$2.4bn subsidy fraud probe triggered my mother’s kidnap — Okonjo-Iweala

Former World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recounted how her efforts to uncover a $2.4bn fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria led to threats against her and the kidnapping of her mother. Okonjo-Iweala revealed that the investigation into the fraud began when officials noticed a sharp increase in claims submitted by fuel importers under Nigeria's subsidy programme.

Nigeria, despite being an oil-producing nation, relied on imported refined petroleum products at the time. The fraud involved importers receiving government payments to sell petrol at regulated prices, but the amounts claimed exceeded expectations, prompting suspicion. The investigation led to a decision to refuse further payments after Okonjo-Iweala presented her findings to the president.

This decision, according to Okonjo-Iweala, resulted in threats against her and eventually the kidnapping of her 96-year-old mother, Kamene Okonjo, who was held in a forest before she managed to escape. Okonjo-Iweala described the five-day ordeal as the most painful period of her life, emphasizing the extreme distress she and her mother experienced.

Despite the ordeal, Okonjo-Iweala stated that she would have prioritized her mother's life over her position as finance minister, expressing her gratitude that her mother survived.