Praise Isioye
Suspected kidnappers have taken six people who were transporting a woman’s body to Okpoga town in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
Sources say that the mourners left Kano on Friday to bury the deceased but were stopped by the gunmen along the dangerous Adoka road.
The attackers reportedly kidnapped all six people in the vehicle and left the body on the road.
A concerned individual who shared information on social media said, “A man from Kano was bringing his wife’s corpse who died in Kano to Okpoga for burial on Friday.
“They departed from Kano and reached Adoka around 8 pm. The husband and five of his friends were in the car when they were kidnapped along Adoka road.
“The kidnappers abandoned the body while they took the six individuals into the bushes.
From Friday until today, they have not been released, and a family member I know mentioned that the kidnappers are demanding N15 million.”
The sympathizer also noted that members of the Federal Road Safety Corps found the body on Saturday and took it to a police station in Adoka. The police later moved the corpse to a morgue.
When contacted, Maxwell Ogiri, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, shared that the driver involved in the incident is his friend.
He stated, “Yes, it happened. The driver is indeed my friend. This is a tragic situation we are facing, and it’s very distressing.”
Ogiri mentioned that the kidnappers are asking for N15 million. However, he noted that security agencies are working hard to locate the kidnappers. He added that local vigilantes and youth are also actively trying to ensure the safe return of those who were taken.
The spokesperson for the state police command, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the event occurred on Friday.
“It’s true, it happened on Friday, and our officers are working to rescue the victims,” said Aondongu.
Recently, the Otukpo-Adoka and Ohimini areas have gained a bad reputation for kidnapping incidents.
On October 16, armed men kidnapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. John Otache, along with seven others while they were coming back from a village market on the Ugbokolo-Ajegbe-Awume Road near Ipiga Village in Ohimini Local Government Area.
Additionally, in August, gunmen took 14 passengers who were traveling to Abuja on the Otukpo-Adoka Road.
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