Gunmen abduct mourners and corpse of late FRSC deputy commander after attacking funeral convoy, demand ₦50 million ransom

• Gunmen ambushed the funeral convoy of late FRSC Deputy Corps Commander Augustine O. Ikwue in Kogi State.

• Nine people, including two FRSC personnel, were abducted during the attack, according to the FRSC.

• The deceased officer's corpse was later recovered and buried in Otukpo, Benue State.

• The kidnappers contacted the deceased officer's wife using his phone and demanded ransom for the abducted victims. While some reports cited ₦50 million, officials have only confirmed that a large ransom was demanded. 

Suspected gunmen attacked a funeral convoy conveying the remains of a late Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Deputy Corps Commander, Augustine O. Ikwue, in Kogi State, abducting several mourners and reportedly demanding a ₦50 million ransom for their release. 

The incident occurred while the deceased officer's body was being transported from Osogbo, Osun State, where he reportedly died after a brief illness, to his hometown in Otukpo, Benue State, for burial. The convoy was ambushed along the Ochadamu–Ejule Road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

According to the Kogi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Lawal Fagge, nine people, including two FRSC personnel, were abducted during the attack. He confirmed that the deceased officer's remains were later recovered after the attackers abandoned the corpse near Ejule community. 

"We recovered the corpse of the officer in Ejule community on Friday after frantic searching and handed it over to the family. He was buried on Saturday in his hometown at Otukpo in Benue," Fagge said. 

Fagge further disclosed that the kidnappers used the late officer's mobile phone to contact his wife and demand ransom for the abducted victims.

"The abductors used the cellphone of the deceased officer and called his wife, demanding a huge sum of money for those in their captivity to regain their freedom," he said.

While the FRSC commander confirmed that the kidnappers demanded a "huge sum of money", several media reports put the ransom at ₦50 million. However, some other reports claimed the demand was ₦450 million, and there has been no official confirmation of the exact amount.

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Following the attack, security operatives, including the Nigerian Army, the police, local hunters and vigilantes, were mobilised to the area to rescue the abducted mourners and track down the gunmen. Rescue efforts were ongoing as of the latest reports. 

The incident has sparked outrage, with many Nigerians expressing concern over the worsening insecurity on major highways and describing the attack on a funeral procession as a disturbing sign of the growing boldness of criminal groups.