World Trade Organisation Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recounted how her investigation into an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria resulted in the kidnapping of her mother, describing the incident as one of the most traumatic experiences of her life.

Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua, recalling how the kidnappers demanded that she resign as Minister of Finance and leave Nigeria in exchange for her mother’s release.

She said the investigation began after officials in her ministry detected an unusual increase in claims being made under the fuel subsidy programme.

Concerned about the development, Okonjo-Iweala said she sought approval from then-President Goodluck Jonathan to audit the accounts. The investigation, she said, uncovered fraudulent claims amounting to about $2.4bn, prompting the government to withhold the disputed payments.

Shortly afterwards, her mother, Kamene Okonjo, was abducted from her residence in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, in December 2012.

According to the WTO chief, the kidnappers subsequently contacted her and demanded that she step down from office and leave the country before her mother would be released.

She said her mother was held for five days in a forest before eventually escaping from captivity.

Okonjo-Iweala described the ordeal as the most painful period of her life, saying the incident initially left her overwhelmed by fear and made her consider resigning from government.

She also said the kidnapping left her with a lasting sense of guilt over the fact that her family had been targeted because of her public responsibilities.

The former finance minister recalled being shocked that her parents could become victims of such an attack.

Despite the pressure, she said her father urged her not to succumb to the kidnappers’ demands.

According to her, he told her that the family would not give in to blackmail and insisted that she continue with her duties.

Okonjo-Iweala said her mother survived the ordeal and remains alive. Kamene Okonjo, who was 82 when she was kidnapped, is now 96.