The Department of State Services (DSS) in Delta state has apprehended seven individuals over their alleged complicity in the abduction of on Harriet Pirah, the wife of Delta state’s commissioner for oil and gas, Joseph Pirah, which occurred on Tuesday, July 24, 2014.
Vanguard reports that F. O. Ikanone, director of Delta state DSS, who paraded the suspects said: “Their arrest was in connection with the kidnap of one Hariet Eyensi Pirah, wife of Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr Joseph Pirah.”
The names of the suspects were given as Uche Ujugbeli, Friday Jonathan, Amos Ekerikevwe, Felix Emmanuel Ekere, Momo Otuedon, Chibuike Nnakwe and Kelly Otuedon.
Ikanone said the suspects took their victim to an undisclosed forest, close to the railway at Agbarho before receiving the sum of N2.2 million from her family to procure her release with each of them receiving N360,000.
Ikonane further said: “Morris, who is still at large, got the sum of N400,000; Ekere and Ujugbeli shared the victim’s phones, while Ekere and Morris sold off the victim’s Mercedes ML 350 SUV.”
She said efforts were being made to apprehend other members of the gang, and the arrested seven will be arraigned soon.
