I’m Neither Kidnapped Nor Under Duress, Ex-Rivers HoS Nwaeke Replies Wife

By Jane Okafor, Abuja

A curious twist has crept into the unfolding political drama in Rivers State with the immediate past Rivers Head of Service(HoS), George Nwaeke, denying claims by his wife, Florence, that he was kidnapped and under duress to speak against his former Principal, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The Daily Crucible reports that Nwaeke had on Friday released startling allegations against Fubara, including alleging that he ordered the bombing of Rivers State Assembly and paid for the operation in the peak of political crisis that had been plaguing the oil – rich South South State before the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu imposed a State of Emergency on it.

But no sooner had he released the allegations during press briefing in Abuja on Friday than his wife, Mrs Florence Nwaeke, became distraught and cried out to Nigerians for help. She alleged that her husband was kidnapped and under duress to lay chilling allegations against Fubara.

Mrs Nwaeke had said, “When he got to Abuja, he called that he had landed. I said, ‘Thank God. The next thing I saw this night: people were calling me and said he got an interview. I said, ‘What interview? Interview for what?’ Not until I saw things flying on the internet that he granted an interview. What happened? I said, ‘That is not my husband. That is not my husband.’

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“So I sent him a message. I said, ‘Are you under duress?’ I sent him a message. I said, ‘Have they kidnapped you? Talk to me now. Why are you not talking to me?’ This is the message I sent to him when I saw his interview online.

“Oh, Jesus, help me. Nigerians, help me. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. Look at the message I sent to him. See the message I sent to him. I said, ‘Daddy, why? Were you in hostage?’ I said, ‘Why didn’t you talk to me?’ These are the messages I sent to him, but he didn’t reply to me. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians, help me! Nigerians, help me!”

However, in a trending video released early hours of Saturday, the former HoS said contrary to his wife’s emotional outbursts, he was safe in Abuja.

Nwaeke insisted that his wife’s claim was false and an indication that she had been misled and given a script to read, stressing that he went to Abuja to voluntarily report himself to security agencies over the ongoing crisis in Rivers State.

He said: “I am in Transcorp Abuja. I arrived this morning from Port Harcourt to meet security agencies and report myself, as well as the troubling events happening in Rivers State. I resigned as Head of Service on Monday because of these developments”.

Addressing his wife, he said: “I just saw a video of my wife trending. She was told I had been kidnapped and given a script to read. I want to make it clear—I am not kidnapped. I am in Abuja, working.

“When I was Head of Service, my wife was not involved in my official duties. That script she read is null and void. I am safe and sound. I will report myself to the appropriate security agencies because Abuja houses their headquarters, and I feel safer making my report here.”