Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted six people, including the husband of a deceased woman, while they were transporting her remains from Kano State to Okpoga in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Friday night along the notorious Adoka Road while travelling to Okpoga for the burial of the woman.
Sources said the group, comprising the deceased’s husband and five of his friends, was intercepted by the armed men, who took the occupants of the vehicle into the bush but abandoned the corpse by the roadside.
A sympathiser who raised the alarm on social media disclosed that the victims had yet to regain their freedom as of Monday, adding that the kidnappers were demanding N15m for their release.
The sympathiser said the group left Kano on Friday and arrived in Adoka at about 8pm, where they were attacked.
“The husband of the deceased and five of his friends were in the vehicle when they were kidnapped along Adoka Road.
“The kidnappers abandoned the dead body while they took the six people to the bush, and from Friday till today (Monday), they have yet to be released,” the source said.
The sympathiser further disclosed that a family member of the victims had confirmed the ransom demand.
According to the source, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps discovered the abandoned corpse on Saturday and took it to a police station in Adoka, from where it was later transferred to a mortuary.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the abduction in a telephone interview with journalists on Monday, describing the incident as distressing.
Ogiri said the driver of the vehicle was his friend, adding that security agencies, local vigilantes and youths were working to secure the victims’ release.
“Yes, it happened. Incidentally, the driver of the vehicle is my friend. This is the unfortunate incident we are seeing. It is really traumatic.
“The kidnappers are demanding N15 million. But the security agencies are trying to track the kidnappers. Also, our vigilantes and youths are not resting in their efforts to ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incident, saying it occurred on Friday.
“It’s true; the incident happened on Friday, and our men are making efforts to rescue the victims,” he said.
Kidnapping incidents have reportedly increased along the Otukpo, Adoka and Ohimini axis of the state, raising concerns over the safety of travellers.
On October 16, gunmen abducted a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. John Otache, and seven other people while they were returning from a village market along the Ugbokolo-Ajegbe-Awume Road, before Ipiga Village in Ohimini Local Government Area.
Similarly, 14 passengers travelling to Abuja were abducted by gunmen in August along the Otukpo-Adoka Road.
