Oil Billionaire Ann Njoroge Claims 'Officers In Uniform' Wanted To Kill Her

Oil tycoon Ann Njeri Njoroge, who went missing after being reportedly linked to the importation of 100,000 metric tons of oil valued at Ksh17 billion, has opened up on the chain of events that occurred after she recorded a statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, November 14 outside the High Court in Mombasa, Njoroge revealed that she was abandoned in a forest after her abductors found nothing to accuse her of.

She noted that her woes began after she applied for permits at the Energy Petroleum and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) before she was cleared to import the oil consignment.

However, it was held at the Mombasa Port by the authorities which prompted her to seek assistance from Energy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Davis Chirchir, who in turn advised her to follow up on the matter with the DCI.

"I applied at EPRA, paid according to the law and been waiting to receive a permit. As I waited, I went to visit CS Chirchir who told me that the oil didn't belong to me but to Galana Energies Limited. I told him that I had not sold it to anyone or signed anything with Galana Energies Limited hence it's mine. He told me it's not possible and directed me to report to the DCI," she stated.

Moments later, however, she was caught in what she claimed was a careful and well-executed abduction when she was allegedly led to an adjacent room to record a statement, to which she discovered that it was a basement.

"The officers asked me if I had taken any drugs, and I said no. When they took me to a car, I was told to surrender my phone and give out the password, and I complied. They took me to an unknown place. I asked why I was separated from my lawyers, but they didn't respond," she went on.

The businesswoman billionaire further revealed that she pleaded with her abductors not to kill her but to release her instead, but her prayers were ignored as she resorted to begging and pleading with them to set her free, aware that her life was really in danger.

"When we arrived at an unknown location at night, I pleaded with them not to kill me, as my family was depending on me. They assured me that nothing would happen," she added.

Another car allegedly arrived shortly after and Njoroge was moved to another location blindfolded. It was here that she was chained in another room and her face concealed with a balaclava which only had space for her eyes.

Njoroge also claimed that she was under heavy security protection as guards stood hawk-eyed and in uniform in a room which only had a mattress and a CCTV camera.

She later went to sleep thinking that she was living her last day on Earth. The following morning her abductors opened the room and questioned her, but vowed to kill her if she did not tell them the truth behind the consignment.

"I told them the truth that I was the owner of the consignment. The officers departed from the room and came back hours later, informing me that they would release me since I had done no wrong. I was blindfolded and thrown out into a forest," she stated but did not reveal the exact location. 

Her lawyer, Cliff Ombeta, claimed that the government had planned Njoroge's kidnapping and that sketchy power brokers wanted a piece of the juicy Ksh17 billion oil deal.

"She was also threatened to return the other four consignments she was to bring. The court had ordered the ship to be detained, but it was discharged. The ship's captain also confirmed that he was threatened over the matter, with the people accusing him of colluding with Ann. 

"What kind of law is this? If the government itself is corrupt, then how can we operate? She has retrieved oil consignments on many occasions, so why is it a problem now?" Ombeta wondered.

Njoroge was found on Tuesday in Mombasa and arraigned before the Mombasa Law Court.