EFCC detains Chris Ngige amid earlier kidnap rumours

Fred Chukwuelobe, media aide to former Anambra State Governor and ex-Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has confirmed that his principal is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The clarification came after widespread rumours late Monday suggesting that Ngige had been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

Chukwuelobe, in a Facebook post, said his phone had been buzzing with calls from journalists and associates seeking to verify claims that the ex-minister had been abducted. He dismissed the rumours as false, stressing that Ngige was neither kidnapped nor missing but was with EFCC operatives.

The aide added that further details would be provided later, even as efforts to reach EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, for confirmation, were unsuccessful.

Ngige’s name has been in the news in recent days following an attack on his convoy on November 27 along the Nkpor–Nnobi road in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Gunmen dressed in police and military uniforms had opened fire on the convoy, killing a woman who was filming the incident and injuring a police officer as well as several civilians. The former minister was not in the convoy at the time of the assault.