Settlement talk have begun in earnest with the kidnappers of Prof. Kamene Okonjo, mother of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that was kidnapped on Sunday in Delta State.
The kidnappers presumably talked to the family members on phone Monday afternoon and at first demanded to talk to the Minister but were not allowed to do so. As an alternative, they were made to talk to the eldest son of the victim, Onyema, who relocated to Ogwashi-Uku on Monday to synchronize the safe release of his mother.
The minister, who was ready to travel down to Ogwashi-Uku was talked out of the move by the security representatives and the Delta state governor just as we discovered the abductors first demanded the resignation of the minister as a pre-condition for her mother’s launch.
Onyema, it was learned, insisted on talking to his mom to find the state of her wellness and to be sure that he was not dealing impostors before he could negotiate with the abductors.
It was after he had spoken to his mother whom we gathered is in high spirits despite her traumatic ordeal, that the
It was after he had spoken to his mother whom we gathered is in high spirits despite her traumatic ordeal, that the kidnappers changed their demand by asking that the minister of finance brings the money the FG recovered from oil marketers who allegedly defrauded the country under the fuel subsidy regime.
Negotiations with the kidnappers made them cut the ransom from N1 billion to N200 million, it was learnt.