Kidnappers ambush Kogi, abduct mourners, demand ransom

A funeral procession for a senior Nigerian traffic safety officer was ambushed by suspected kidnappers in Kogi State, resulting in the abduction of several mourners and the temporary seizure of the officer's corpse. The attack occurred on the evening of July 10 along the Ososo-Ajaokuta axis, also described as the Ochadamu-Ejule road, as the convoy was transporting the remains of Deputy Corps Commander Augustine O. Ikwue from Osogbo to his hometown of Otukpo in Benue State for burial.

According to officials, the armed assailants intercepted the vehicle, which carried nine mourners including two FRSC operatives, forced the occupants into the surrounding bush, and initially took the corpse with them. The kidnappers later abandoned the body, which was recovered by authorities in the Ejule community of Kogi State on July 11. The late officer, popularly known as Etume Zero, was subsequently buried in Otukpo on July 12.

The abducted mourners remain in captivity. The kidnappers have made contact with the victims' families, using the deceased officer's cellphone to call his wife, and are demanding a ransom for their release. While most reports cite a demand of 50 million naira, one...