Kamene Okonjo, the mother of finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, released Friday after six days in captivity, was dropped off the road by her captors, in Benin City, Edo State, after collecting between N10 to N11 million ransom.
A young boy, suspected to have been used by the
kidnappers as a “sacrificial lamb” to lead the old woman to safety after the
ransom was delivered to them on Saturday, has been arrested by security agents
to help in their investigations on the identity of the hostage takers.
Prof Okonjo flown to Abuja Professor Kamene Okonjo was
shepherded to her Ogwashi-Uku home by security agents, who kept the information
secret.
Journalists, who mounted siege in the country home of the
Okonjos waiting for her to be brought home did not know that she was already
inside until about 1.56 pm when they noticed movement in some the compound.
It was only then they found out that she had come back.
Unlike December 9 when she was forcefully taken away, she was quietly led,
yesterday, from the house, to enter a vehicle for the airport, evidently on her
way to Abuja, to reunite with her daughter, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The chartered flight that took her Abuja from Asaba
Airport departed at about 2.29 pm. Her son, Onyema, accompanied her. Soldiers,
Police and Customs officials prevented photographers from taking pictures
throughout.
It was gathered that because of the situation at home,
her husband and monarch of Ogwashi-Uku, Obi Chukwuka Okonjo Agbogidi, who
travelled 24 hours before the queen mother was abducted, was advised not to
return home yet.
As it is, security would be beefed up in the palace and
security agents, including soldiers deployed to the palace before the monarch
would return to Ogwashi-Uku, a family source told Rhipplemedia. Rhipplemedia
learnt that the ransom was dropped and coolly collected by the hostage takers,
between N10 m – N15 million ransom paid
Our source was not emphatic on the amount paid, but he
said, “Between N10 million and N15 million was paid as ransom”
We gathered that it was after the kidnappers satisfied
themselves that the Okonjos kept to their side of the bargain that they
released the family’s matriarch on Friday morning in Benin City.
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