Kinsmen of former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, residing in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, are in confusion over his arrest by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They’re also saddened that the arrest took place while he was healing from an attack on his convoy.

It was alleged that EFCC forced its way into the Abuja residence of the former governor of Anambra State at Bello Road, Asokoro, Abuja, and whisked him away.

Our Correspondent drove through the community to gauge residents’ views on the arrest of the former minister.

The kinsmen who gathered in their villages in threes and fours spoke in hush tones over the ordeal of the former governor, who has remained their major benefactor.

A member of the community, who gave his name as Okeke, claimed that the former governor was forcefully taken away on Wednesday from his residence in Abuja by no fewer than 20 EFCC officers from its Zonal office, Wuse II, Abuja.

According to him, information he got was that “Ngige was not allowed to change his clothes and was taken away still wearing his pyjamas,” describing the whisking as a commando-like style.

He lamented that Ngige and his sympathisers had yet to recover from his escape from gunmen who attacked his convoy, killing a woman and injuring a security guard.

It was gathered that the former Labour and Productivity Minister had spent about one week at his country home recovering from the shock, while receiving concerned compatriots, former aides, political associates, and well-wishers who visited to offer condolences.

It was also gathered that Nigige had misplaced his passport and made frantic efforts to recover it. According to a source, he had planned to reach out to the anti-corruption body to update it on the development before the invasion of his residence.

In a phone interview on Thursday, a media aide to the former minister, Fred Chukwuelobe, denied that Ngige was abducted by the EFCC, as widely speculated.

Chukwuelobe told The Guardian that a Counsel to Ngige had informed him that the former minister would be charged in court on Friday, December 12, 2025.

He gave an insight: “The former governor had been on administrative bail from the EFCC after he was invited by the agency and questioned for undisclosed reasons.” Dr. Ngige had, before yesterday’s arrest, allegedly been in contact with the agency and was cooperating with it. He was asked to return his travel documents to the agency.

“However, he embarked on a medical trip to the United States (US) and on getting to the United Kingdom (UK), en route to the US, lost his passport and had to abort the trip and return to Nigeria. He secured travel documents from the Nigerian High Commission in the UK, with which he was able to travel back to Abuja.

“Upon returning to Abuja, the two-time minister in the Buhari administration was said to have drafted a letter which he allegedly intended to forward to the EFCC informing it of the loss of his travel documents; that he had no passport to return to the agency.

“He was yet to submit the letter when officers of the agency stormed his residence on Justice Mohammed Bello Road, Asokoro, Abuja and whisked him away.

“Dr. Ngige is said to have expressed surprise at his arrest when he had not violated the terms of his administrative bail and had cooperated with the agency in its statutory duties,” Chukwuelobe said.