A funeral procession conveying the remains of a senior Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer to Benue State was thrown into chaos after suspected kidnappers attacked the convoy in Kogi State, abducting several mourners and briefly seizing the corpse before demanding a ₦50 million ransom.
The mourners were travelling with the body of Deputy Corps Commander (DCC) Augustine O. Ikwue, popularly known as “Etume Zero,” for his burial in Otukpo, Benue State, when the gunmen struck along the Ososo-Ajaokuta axis of Kogi State.
A citizen journalist and activist Meddy Olotu, who disclosed the incident, said the armed men ambushed the funeral convoy, whisked away the mourners into the bush and also took the deceased officer’s corpse.
He added that the kidnappers later abandoned the man’s corpse, which was later recovered around Ejule in Kogi State.
According to him, the kidnappers are demanding ₦50 million to release the kidnapped mourners.
Meddy described the incident as shocking and heartbreaking, lamenting the worsening insecurity across the country.
“What kind of country are we living in? Even the dead cannot rest in peace,” he lamented.
He called on security agencies and other relevant authorities to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted victims and bring those behind the attack to justice.
The late Deputy Corps Commander with the FRSC, Augustine O. Ikwue, was scheduled to be laid to rest on Friday in AiOde, Upu community, Otukpo LGA of Benue State but the attack disrupted the funeral procession.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident or the status of efforts to rescue the abducted mourners.
