A former Head of Service for Rivers State, George Nwaeke, has refuted claims made by his wife that he had been kidnapped, stating that he is in Abuja voluntarily reporting to security agencies over recent political developments in the state.
Mr. Nwaeke, who resigned from his position on Monday, released a video in the early hours of Saturday, dismissing his wife Florence’s assertions as untrue. He suggested that she had been misinformed and given a script to read.
“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,” Mr. Nwaeke said in the video.
Addressing his wife’s concerns, he added, “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.”
Mr. Nwaeke explained that as Abuja is home to the headquarters of the relevant security agencies, he felt it was safer to make his report there. He also emphasized that his wife was not involved in his official duties during his time as Head of Service, implying that her statements were based on misinformation.
Florence Nwaeke had earlier expressed deep concern about her husband’s whereabouts following his resignation. In an emotional interview on Friday, she revealed that he had called her upon arriving in Abuja to confirm his safe arrival. However, her fears escalated after she saw an online interview with him, which she found suspicious.
“I said, ‘That is not my husband. That is not my husband,'” she recalled, adding that her attempts to contact him had been unsuccessful. “I sent him a message: ‘Are you under duress? Have they kidnapped you? Talk to me now. Why are you not responding?’ But he didn’t reply. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians, help me!”
The situation unfolded after Mr. Nwaeke publicly accused the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, of orchestrating a bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2023, allegedly to prevent his impeachment. Mr. Nwaeke claimed to have witnessed a bag of money being handed over to the former Assembly leader, Edison Ehie, who is now Governor Fubara’s Chief of Staff, to carry out the attack.
Mr. Nwaeke’s decision to report to security agencies in Abuja and his denial of being kidnapped add another layer of complexity to the ongoing political tensions in Rivers State. The conflicting accounts from Mr. Nwaeke and his wife are likely to fuel further speculation and scrutiny of the events surrounding his resignation and accusations against the governor.
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