By Festus Ahon

ASABA—Delta State command of the Department of State Services, DSS, has arrested seven suspected kidnappers over alleged involvement in the kidnap of Mrs Harriet Pirah, wife of the state Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr Joseph Pirah, who was kidnapped on July 24, 2014.

Parading the suspects in Asaba, the state Director of DSS, Mrs F. O. Ikanone, 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.”

She listed the suspects to include Uche Ujugbeli, Friday Jonathan, Amos Ekerikevwe, Felix Emmanuel Ekere, Kelly Otuedon, Chibuike Nnakwe and Momo Otuedon.

According to her, the suspected kidnappers took the victim to a forest, around the railway at Agbarho, and subsequently collected a ransom of N2.2 million from her family before releasing her.

She said each of the seven suspects got N360,000.

, the DSS boss 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.”

Ikanone said efforts were on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang, disclosing that the seven suspects would soon be arraigned in court.