Gunmen abduct six mourners, abandon corpse on Benue highway
Suspected gunmen have abducted six mourners, including the husband of a deceased woman and five of his friends, while they were conveying her corpse from Kano State to Okpoga in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident occurred along the Adoka Road when the vehicle transporting the burial party was intercepted by the armed men. Following the abduction, the attackers left the casket and the corpse abandoned on the highway.
It was gathered that operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps later discovered the abandoned body and moved it to a police station in Adoka, from where it was subsequently deposited in a morgue.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident, describing it as deeply distressing.
“Yes, it happened. Incidentally, the driver of the vehicle is my friend. This is the unfortunate incident we are seeing. It is really traumatic,” Ogiri said.
Sources indicated that the abductors have since made contact to demand a ransom, while security operatives, local youths, and vigilante groups have launched a joint rescue operation in the area.
The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incident, assuring the public that security personnel are combing the axis to secure the release of the victims.
