Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige has recalled how a traditional ruler played a significant role on the day he was abducted while in office as Anambra State governor.
Ngige, who was governor between 2003 and 2006, was held hostage in Awka, the state capital, on July 10, 2003.
He told This Day in an interview published on Sunday that days before his abduction, he began getting strange phone calls.
He said on the day of the incident he got to the office later than usual and saw his aide-de-camp harassed in front of his office by the late AIG Ralph Ige and another man fully armed.
“Ige was in mufti. But I had seen him two days earlier in Enugu at Chris Uba’s house on my way from Abuja,” he said.
Ngige said Ige then entered his office and asked him to leave the seat of the governor.
He said: “So, I went back to my table. Then he told me, oga, you have to come down from that table. I said why. He said I have instruction you should discontinue work. And I said from whom. He said from high up. And I said which one is high up. You mean high up or high down. He said I don’t know, I should stop querying him. Bloody police officer telling me I should stop querying him. I said there is a lot on. So, when I picked my phone, he said no, no, no, I should drop the phone; that you are not to answer any call.
“As we were there, the clerk of the Anambra State House of Assembly Mr. Alloysius Ikwuka came in. He was my secondary school Latin teacher, who we used to call Gozoga, when we were in school.
“His face was very downcast. Immediately, the AIG saw him, he said ooh clerk you are here. Oya, bring the letter. So, they brought the letter – my resignation letter as governor and then, they brought out another letter that I have accepted the house of assembly resolution accepting my letter of resignation – two letters. When you sign the resignation, the house will do a resolution of acceptance and then bring it back to you to sign – acknowledge.”
According to Ngige, the policemen had instructions to take him to his village but he declined and opted for his hotel.
He said that at the hotel courtyard, an argument ensued between his camp and policemen. While this was on, a traditional ruler he identified as Igwe Mbaukwu pulled out a gun.
The monarch then reached the then Vice President Alex Ekwueme on phone to intervene in the crisis.
“So, when he came to give me the phone, the police attacked him. Luckily, the man usually carries a pistol approved for him by President Shagari. So, when they cocked their guns, he brought out his pistol,” he said.
“So they thought he was a force man, an army officer or something like that. So they calmed down and went to report to their oga, the AIG- that I brought some armed people to the place. So Igwe Mbaukwu finished that call and asked what else, because Ekwueme only said aah, is it what is happening now. Who can be responsible and I said I don’t know but it looks like it is Obasanjo and his people. So that was how the episode got to the climax and started climbing down.”
