Former Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and has not been kidnapped, his media aide has confirmed.
Reports earlier suggested that Ngige, a former Minister of Labour and Employment, had been abducted from his residence on Justice Mohammed Bello Road in Abuja.
However, Fred Chukwuelobe, Ngige’s spokesperson, dismissed these claims.
“I have received numerous calls from friends and journalists seeking clarity,” Chukwuelobe wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
“His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige, has not been kidnapped. He is with the EFCC and was neither ‘abducted’ nor ‘kidnapped.’”
Chukwuelobe added that further details would be provided later.
The reason for Ngige’s appearance before the EFCC remains unclear, and the commission has yet to issue an official statement.
This development comes less than two weeks after gunmen attacked Ngige’s convoy in Anambra.
Ngige, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), served as Anambra State governor from May 2003 to March 2006 under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He is the second former minister under the Muhammadu Buhari administration to be detained by the EFCC in recent weeks.
Former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami is also in custody over an ongoing investigation.
Malami stated that the EFCC inquiry involves an alleged duplication in the recovery of the $310 million Abacha loot, which later accrued interest totaling $322.5 million.
He dismissed allegations of abuse of office and money laundering as “baseless, illogical, and wholly devoid of substance,” asserting that the claims would not withstand factual examination.
