Get Guardian on GoogleSuspected gunmen have abducted six mourners, including the husband of a deceased woman and five of his friends, while they were transporting her remains from Kano State to Okpoga in Okpokwu Local Council of Benue State.
The attackers reportedly intercepted the vehicle conveying the burial party along the Adoka Road, abducted the six occupants and abandoned the casket containing the woman’s corpse on the highway.
The abandoned body was later discovered by operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who moved it to a police station in Adoka. It was subsequently deposited in a morgue.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Council, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident, describing it as distressing and traumatic.
Ogiri said the driver of the vehicle was his friend, expressing concern over the growing insecurity in the area.
“Yes, it happened. Incidentally, the driver of the vehicle is my friend. This is the unfortunate incident we are seeing. It is really traumatic,” he said.
Sources said the abductors had contacted the victims’ relatives and demanded a ransom for their release.
Meanwhile, security operatives, local youths and vigilante groups have reportedly launched a joint operation to rescue the victims and track down the perpetrators.
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the abduction, assuring residents that security personnel were combing the area to secure the victims’ release.
