Suspected kidnappers have abducted the corpse of Deputy Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Augustine Ikwue, along with nine mourners while travelling to his hometown in Benue State.
According to reports, the gunmen launched attack on the convoy conveying the deceased officer’s body to Otukpo for burial at about 6 p.m. on Thursday along the Ochadamu–Ejule Road in Ofu local government area of Kogi State.
The Commission’s Sector Commander, Kogi State, Lawal Fagge, confirmed the incident explaining that the abductors seized nine mourners, including two personnel of the agency, during the attack.
Fagge disclosed that the kidnappers later abandoned the corpse around Ejule community, where it was recovered on Friday after an intensive search, and handed over to the deceased’s family for burial.
According to reports, the sector commander said the abductors used the deceased officer’s mobile phone to contact his wife and demanded a huge ransom for the release of those being held captive.
The sector commander, as at the time of filing this report, said security agencies had intensified efforts to rescue the victims, with personnel of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, local hunters and vigilante groups deployed to the area to comb nearby forests and track down the kidnappers.
According to reports, the residents reacting to the incident described it as disturbing, adding that is an indication of the worsening security situation, pointing out that effrontery of the kidnappers is disregard for the sanctity of the dead.
Meanwhile, the kidnapped mourners, as at the time of filing this report, had yet to be rescued, while security operatives continued efforts to secure their safe release and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
