Former Anambra State Governor and immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), contrary to widespread rumours that he had been kidnapped.
His media aide, Fred Chukwuelobe, issued the clarification on Monday after panic spread over unverified online claims suggesting Ngige had been abducted by unknown gunmen.
Chukwuelobe said he received numerous calls from concerned Nigerians, prompting him to issue a public statement.
According to him, Ngige is safe and with the EFCC, not in the hands of kidnappers.
“I have been receiving calls in the past hour from friends and journalists seeking the veracity of the news making the rounds that His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige, former governor of Anambra State and immediate past minister of labour and employment, ‘has been kidnapped,’” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“Ngige is with the EFCC. He was not ‘abducted’ or ‘kidnapped’,” he added, noting that more details will be released in due course.
Attempts to get comments from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages went unanswered.
Ngige has recently attracted security attention following the November 27 attack on his convoy along the Nkpor–Nnobi road in Anambra State. Gunmen disguised in security uniforms opened fire on the convoy, killing a woman who attempted to record the incident and injuring several others, including a police officer. Ngige was not present in the convoy during the attack.
Further information on his current engagement with the EFCC is still awaited.
