Three siblings travelling from Abuja to Benue State with the remains of their late mother for burial have reportedly been abducted by gunmen.
The incident was said to have occurred around 4 a.m. on Saturday between Omutele and Ankpechi in Oglewu District, along the Ogobia–Otukpo Road in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the armed men intercepted the family’s vehicle while they were transporting their mother’s body to Iklenyi community in neighbouring Okpokwu Local Government Area for burial.
The attack marks the second reported incident within a week involving mourners transporting a corpse for burial, raising fresh concerns over the growing insecurity along highways connecting Benue and neighbouring states.
A resident of Omutele community, who identified himself simply as Elijah, said residents were awakened by the sound of gunfire in the early hours of Saturday.
“We heard sporadic gunshots between 3am and 4am today (Saturday), and we thought Fulani herdsmen were attacking our community.
“But at daybreak, we learnt that gunmen kidnapped some people escorting the corpse of their mother from Abuja to Iklenyi community in neighbouring Okpokwu Local Government Area for burial,” he said.
A video circulating on social media alleged that the family’s vehicle developed a mechanical fault, leaving them stranded on the highway before the gunmen struck.
It was, however, unclear whether the attackers also took away the deceased’s body.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Ohimini Local Government Area, Gabriel Adole, said he was on his way to the location to verify the details surrounding the attack.
“Yes, I am going to the scene of the incident now to ascertain what really happened,” Adole said.
The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received an official report on the incident.
She stated that she would contact the Divisional Police Officer in the area for further information but had yet to provide an update as of the time this report was filed.
The latest abduction comes just days after gunmen attacked a funeral convoy transporting the remains of the late Deputy Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Augustine Ikwue, along the Ochadamu–Ejule Road in Kogi State.
During that attack, nine mourners were abducted, while the gunmen briefly took possession of the deceased’s body before abandoning it, allowing family members to recover the remains for burial.
Meanwhile, former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Peter Agada, has called on President Bola Tinubu to take decisive steps to end the wave of killings across the country following the recent killing of about 16 people in Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, Agada urged the Federal Government to move beyond condolence visits and intensify efforts to dismantle criminal groups responsible for attacks nationwide.
“President Bola Tinubu’s administration must stop being a government of empty ceremonial promises of security and rise to restore Nigeria from being a republic of bloodshed to one of law, order, peace, opportunity and prosperity,” he said.
He also called for the deployment of modern technology and intelligence-driven security strategies to combat terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other violent criminal elements across the country.
