Gunmen have kidnapped six people who were transporting the corpse of a woman for burial along Adoka Road in the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. The husband of the deceased and five of his friends were in the vehicle when the attackers intercepted them on Friday at about 8 p.m. while the group was taking the body from Kano to Okpoga in Okpokwu Local Government Area for interment.
According to sources who spoke with Tribune, the kidnappers took the six mourners into the bush and abandoned the woman’s body on the highway. From Friday until Monday the victims had not been released. A family member of the victims said the gunmen were demanding ₦15 million as ransom.
Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps discovered the body on Saturday and took it to the police station in Adoka. Police later deposited it in a morgue. Confirming the incident on Monday, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said the driver of the vehicle was his friend. “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 stated. Ogiri added that the abductors were demanding ₦15 million but security agencies were working to track them down, noting that local vigilantes and youths were also making efforts to ensure the victims are rescued.
The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incident on Monday. “It’s true, the incident happened on Friday, and our men are making efforts to rescue the victims,” he said.
