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Two policemen have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of the Nigerian finance minister’s 82-year-old mother, the police said on Wednesday. Kamene Okonjo, mother of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who
is also coordinator of the economy, was abducted on Sunday from her home in Nigeria’s oil-producing Delta state where kidnapping for ransom is rife.
Delta State Police Commissioner, Ikechukwu Aduba said the policemen had been arrested on suspicion of having aided the kidnappers.
“It is a very sad development and our major concern now is to rescue Mama unhurt,” Aduba told Reuters by phone.
Criminal gangs regularly kidnap people for ransom in Nigeria, but it is rare for them to target members of the political elite.
“I’m not aware the kidnappers are demanding ransom and, even if they are, the police cannot get involved as that would be a signal for others to continue (abductions),” Aduba said.
The finance minister, a campaigner against corruption, has received threats in the past, according to her special adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu.
– Reuters
