Former Head of Service George Nwaeke has denied kidnapping claims allegedly instigated by his wife, Florence, asserting he travelled to Abuja voluntarily to report on troubling developments in Rivers State. His allegations of state-sponsored violence, linked to Governor Fubara, have exacerbated concerns over the region’s political stability and governance issues.
ABUJA, Nigeria — In an explosive twist to an already volatile political saga in Rivers State, former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has vehemently denied claims circulating that he was kidnapped—a narrative pushed by his own wife, Florence.
Speaking from TRANSCORP Abuja, Nwaeke categorically refuted the allegations, asserting that his safe arrival in the capital was a deliberate, voluntary move to report concerning developments in his home state to security agencies.
In a video released in the early hours of Saturday, the ex-HoS, known for his uncompromising stance on corruption and abuse of power, stated:
“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.”
He added that his resignation, tendered on Monday, was a direct response to these events, which have increasingly eroded the trust and stability in state governance.
Nwaeke’s dismissal of the kidnapping claims was as sharp as it was direct.
“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”.
His forceful denial casts serious doubt on the credibility of the narrative that had begun to spread on social media, fuelling public anxiety over his safety and the integrity of the political process in Rivers State.
This dramatic episode cannot be viewed in isolation. It comes on the heels of Nwaeke’s previous bombshell revelations regarding the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2023—a move he alleged was orchestrated by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to derail an impeachment process.
According to Nwaeke, he witnessed a bag of money being passed to Edison Ehie, then Assembly leader and now Fubara’s Chief of Staff, earmarked for an attack on the Assembly Complex along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The intertwining of these explosive claims has left political analysts reeling, questioning the true extent of malfeasance within the state’s corridors of power.
Florence Nwaeke, in an emotionally charged interview last Friday, had painted a picture of despair and abandonment. Describing her husband’s disappearance as akin to a kidnapping, she claimed that his phone calls, which had initially reassured her of his safe arrival in Abuja, soon fell silent.
“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,” she lamented, her distress resonating with many Nigerians who have grown weary of the political manipulations that have long undermined public confidence.
Political commentators argue that these recent developments further exacerbate the crisis of governance in Rivers State.
The combination of alleged state-sponsored (violence) terrorism—symbolised by the bombing of the Assembly—and the ensuing misinformation campaign, as evidenced by the contradictory reports from Nwaeke and his wife, underscores a deeply polarised and unstable political environment.
The ex-HoS’s decisive move to report directly to the security agencies in Abuja is being widely interpreted as a bid to safeguard his integrity and lay bare the truth about the systemic abuses undermining the democratic process.
As Rivers State continues to reel from these turbulent events, one message emerges loud and clear: the pursuit of truth and accountability is paramount, regardless of the lengths to which political forces will go to obscure it.
The coming days are set to determine whether these revelations will catalyse a genuine reform in the state’s governance or plunge it further into chaos.
