Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted nine mourners travelling with the corpse of a retired Deputy Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Augustine O. Ikwue, along the Ochadamu-Ejule Road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The assailants were said to have intercepted the vehicle conveying the deceased officer's remains to his hometown in Otukpo, Benue State, at about 6pm on Thursday. The late FRSC officer reportedly died after a brief illness in Osogbo, Osun State.
The Kogi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Lawal Fagge, confirmed the incident, saying the abductors initially seized both the corpse and the mourners before abandoning the body near Ejule community.
According to him, the recovered remains were handed over to the family and buried on Saturday in Otukpo, while efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims still in captivity.
Fagge disclosed that nine persons, including two FRSC personnel, were abducted during the attack.
"We recovered the corpse on Friday after an extensive search and handed it over to the family for burial. The kidnappers later used the deceased officer's mobile phone to contact his wife and demanded ₦450m for the release of those they abducted," he said.
Security operatives comprising the police, the Nigerian Army, local hunters and vigilantes have reportedly launched a coordinated operation to rescue the victims and apprehend the attackers.
The incident has sparked outrage among residents, with many describing the abduction of mourners accompanying a corpse as a disturbing indication of the worsening security situation in the area.
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