Six mourners abducted in Benue, N15m ransom demanded

By Peter Duru, Makurdi Six persons, including a man conveying his deceased wife’s corpse from Kano State to Okpoga, headquarters of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, for burial, have been abducted along Adoka Road in Otukpo Local Government Area. The abductors have reportedly demanded N15 million ransom for the release of the victims. The victims, comprising the bereaved husband and five other mourners accompanying him, were reportedly kidnapped at about 8pm on Friday, while the woman’s corpse was abandoned in their vehicle.

A community member, Meddy Olotu, who raised the alarm over the incident, said the victims had remained in captivity since Friday, while efforts to secure their release had yet to yield results as of Monday. According to him, the victims were returning from Kano, where the woman died, and heading to Okpoga for her burial when they were intercepted along Adoka Road.

Olotu said: “The man, who is based in Kano, lost his wife, and they were bringing her corpse back home to Okpoga in Okpokwu LGA of Benue State for burial. “They left Kano, and you can imagine the journey from Kano to Benue State. It is a long journey. They got to Adoka at about 8pm. That was the last time the family members could reach them. “That same Friday, around Adoka Road, they were said to have been kidnapped and whisked into the bush, while the corpse of his late wife was left in the vehicle.

There were about six of them. “From that Friday till today, Monday, they have not been released. As I speak to you, we learnt the abductors are demanding N15 million ransom.” Describing the incident as particularly distressing, Olotu said the abduction had compounded the grief of the family, which was already mourning the loss of the woman. “For somebody who lost his wife, they kidnapped him and his five friends and left the wife’s corpse on the road.

That is terrible,” he said. He said personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reportedly found the corpse the following morning and took it to the police station at Adoka, from where it was deposited in a mortuary pending the release of the abducted persons. Olotu added that the abductors had maintained contact with the victims’ family, with one of the relatives reportedly able to communicate with them because he understood the language they spoke.

“Last night, I spoke with one of the family members who said the people have been calling. Luckily, he understands Hausa, so he is able to communicate with them,” he said. He said the six victims were still being held in the bush as of Monday, while the woman’s corpse remained in a mortuary in Adoka. Olotu appealed to relevant authorities to intensify efforts to rescue the victims, expressing concern that the family might struggle to raise the ransom demanded.

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Maxwell Ogiri, said the abduction occurred along Adoka Road. Ogiri, who said the vehicle’s driver was his friend, described the incident as traumatic and confirmed that the kidnappers were demanding N15 million. “The matter is being looked into. Efforts are being made to secure the victims’ release,” he said.

Also confirming the abduction, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the incident occurred on Friday and that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.