Nigeria’s Minister for Finance and Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is the real target of the kidnappers who took away her 82-year-old mother last Sunday, it has been alleged.

Chuks Esogbue, a prominent Anioma community leader, made the allegation last night in a post on his Facebook wall. Though Abian by marriage, Dr. Ngozi is from Anioma land in Delta North and her mother, Prof. Kamene Okonjo, is the Queen of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. The minister’s mother was taken away from the palace in the absence of her husband by 10 armed men around 1:47 p.m. and efforts are being made by security operatives to secure her release.

“Our prayers are with our sister Ngozi, who obviously is the target of this disgraceful act,” said Esogbue, a stalwart of Delta Elders Leaders & Stakeholders Forum.

He disclosed that rather than “the $1 billion published by some media organisations, the amount demanded by the kidnappers of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother, is N1 billion, as can be deduced from a message to me by our erudite Anioma sister.”

Asked how he arrived at the conclusion that Ngozi is the real target of the kidnappers, Esogbue, a former CEO of the defunct daily newspaper Post Express, replied: “Where do you think the kidnappers expect the family of HRM Kamene Okonjo to get that kind of money from? Who else in d family can produce that kind of money except Ngozi?”

News Express reports that the Finance Minister’s spokesman, Paul Nwabuikwu, had refused to rule out the fact that his principal is the real target of the kidnappers. He disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Dr. Ngozi had received threats from people unhappy with her war against corruption, saying: “At this point, it is difficult to say whether those behind this action are the same people who have made threats against the Coordinating Minister in the recent past or other elements with hostile motives. No possibility can be ruled out at this point.”

•Photo, courtesy Vanguard: Okonjo-Iweala (right) and her kidnapped mom, Prof. Kamene Okonjo.