A bereaved husband and five other persons conveying his wife’s corpse from Kano State to her hometown in Okpoga, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, have been abducted by armed men along Adoka Road in Otukpo LGA of the state.
Witnesses said that the incident occurred on Friday at about 8pm when the mourners, who had travelled from Kano, were approaching their destination, barely an hour drive from the scene of the attack.
Some residents of the area, alleged that they woke up to discover an abandoned corpse on the middle of the road and, upon closer inspection, realised that the occupants of the vehicle conveying the deceased had been whisked away by the attackers.
They alleged that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) arrived at the scene on Saturday morning, evacuated the corpse and deposited it at a morgue in Adoka town.
When contacted, the FRSC Information Officer, Ahula, said the officials were in a meeting but promised to obtain details of the incident and get back to our correspondent.
Meanwhile, an Idoma social media influencer, Meddy Olotu, claimed to have spoken with members of the bereaved husband’s family, who disclosed that the kidnappers had opened communication and were demanding N15 million for the release of the six abducted persons.
Olotu said the victims were intercepted and taken away while the corpse was abandoned at the roadside in their own homes state by the abductors after travelling all the way from Kano, just as the family members were preparing to receive the corpse for burial.
“They were heading to Okpoga to bury their dead when they were intercepted along Adoka road. The family members said they were in touch with the husband of the deceased and his friends until they lost communication with them while they were traversing the Adoka axis,” he said.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, acknowledged that the abduction took place along Adoka road, describing it as unfortunate and traumatic.
“Yes, it happened. Incidentally, the driver of the vehicle is my friend. This is the unfortunate incident we are witnessing. The kidnappers are demanding N15 million.
“But the security agencies are working to ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued,” the chairman told journalists in Makurdi by telephone.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incident, saying it occurred on Friday and that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.
