Prometheus 6   

Police 'kidnap' Nigerian governor

Claims that top official was deposed on tycoon's orders
Festus Eriye: Lagos

Nigeria has been rocked by claims that a state governor was abducted by police and hurriedly replaced on the strength of a fake letter of resignation.

Governor of the southeastern state of Anambra, Chris Ngige, claims that 200 policemen descended on his office and "captured" him last Thursday.

Then, while they detained him, Ngige's apparent letter of resignation was presented to the state house of assembly.

It was read by the Speaker, swiftly debated and hastily adopted. The Anambra assembly then directed that the chief justice swear in the deputy governor as the new governor.

However, when the judge could not be reached at such short notice, Deputy Governor Okechukwu Udeh announced that he was taking over anyway, in order to prevent a power vacuum.

But Ngige was able to trick his captors and inform his countrymen that he had not resigned. In doing so, however, he threw Anambran, and Nigerian, politics into disarray.

Many of those now accused of being behind the attempted ouster of the governor are known associates of powerful figures in the presidency and other top figures in the ruling party.