Suspected kidnappers ambushed a funeral convoy in Kogi State, abducting the remains of a senior Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer alongside nine mourners and later demanding N450 million for their release.
The late officer, Deputy Corps Commander Augustine O. Ikwue, had died after a brief illness in Osogbo, Osun State. His body was being transported to his hometown in Otukpo, Benue State, for burial when the convoy came under attack around 6 p.m. on Thursday along the Ochadamu-Ejule Road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Kogi State FRSC Sector Commander, Lawal Fagge, confirmed the incident, revealing that the abductors seized nine mourners, including two FRSC personnel.
He disclosed that the gunmen later abandoned the corpse near Ejule community, where it was recovered by search teams and handed over to the family. The late officer was subsequently buried in Otukpo on Saturday.
According to Fagge, the kidnappers later contacted the deceased officer’s wife using his mobile phone, demanding N450 million to secure the freedom of those still being held captive.
“We recovered the corpse of the officer in Ejule community after frantic searching and handed it over to the family. The abductors used the deceased officer’s phone to call his wife and demand a huge ransom for those in captivity,” he said.
Security operatives, including the military, police, local hunters and vigilante groups, have launched a coordinated search operation to rescue the victims and track down the kidnappers.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with many Nigerians describing it as a disturbing sign of the country’s worsening insecurity.
“Bandits now have no respect for the living or the dead,” one resident lamented.
