How gunmen abducted mourners, abandoned corpse in Benue

**Abductors demand N15m ransom for victims

**Police assure efforts to arrest suspects

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Benue State Police Command has assured the public of ongoing operational efforts to track down suspected armed kidnappers who abducted six mourners in Adoka, Otukpo Local Government Area, leaving the corpse they were conveying by the roadside.

The incident occurred on Friday around 8:00 p.m. as the victims were traveling from Kano State to Okpoga, in Okpokwu Local Government Area, for a burial.

According to a local source who spoke on condition of anonymity, the gunmen intercepted the vehicle in Adoka, seized six occupants, and abandoned the corpse.

Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) discovered the remains the following day and transferred them to the police, who deposited the body in a mortuary.

t was gathered that the suspectes kidnappers have since established contact with the victims’ families, demanding a N15 million ransom.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Maxwell Ogiri, described the abduction as traumatic, noting that the driver of the vehicle is a close friend. He stated that local security measures are underway alongside technical tracking.

“Yes, it happened. The kidnappers are demanding N15 million, but security agencies are using coordinates to track them. Our local vigilantes and youths are also working tirelessly to assist in the rescue operation,” Ogiri said.

Reaffirming the security response, the Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Aondongu Orchia, confirmed that police operatives are actively pursuing the perpetrators, expressing confidence that the joint operations will lead to the safe recovery of the victims and the arrest of the culprits.