Gunmen have kidnapped six people conveying the remains of a woman for burial along Adoka Road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the husband of the deceased and five others were kidnapped on Friday at about 8 p.m. while taking her body to Okpoga in Okpokwu Local Government Area for burial.
It was gathered that the woman had died in Kano, and her body was being transported to Okpoga by her husband and five other mourners when their vehicle was intercepted along the notorious Adoka Road.
The kidnappers were said to have whisked the mourners away to the bush, abandoning the woman’s body on the highway.
A source said, ‘A man from Kano was carrying the body of his wife, who died in Kano, to Okpoga for burial on Friday.
‘They left Kano and got to Adoka at about 8 p.m. 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. From Friday until today (Monday), they were yet to be released, while a family member of the victims, whom I know, said the kidnappers were demanding N15 million.’
The source added that officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps found the body on the road on Saturday and took it to the police station in Adoka, from where the police later deposited it in a morgue.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, who confirmed the incident to journalists in a telephone interview on Monday, said the driver of the vehicle was his friend.
He said, ‘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.’
Also confirming the incident in a telephone interview with journalists on Monday, the state police command spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said it happened on Friday.
‘It’s true, the incident happened on Friday, and our men are making efforts to rescue the victims,’ the police spokesperson said.