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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Kogi police confirm abduction of Benue-bound corpse

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Bandits abducted a corpse being transported for burial in Kogi State, Nigeria, along with its occupants.
  • The victim was a Federal Road Safety Corp official, Augustine Ikwue, whose body was being conveyed to Otukpo, Benue State.
  • Police, military, and vigilante groups launched a joint operation, recovering the abandoned vehicle and casket, and intensifying efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a corpse and its occupants by suspected bandits along the Ochadamu–Ejule Expressway. The victim was identified as Augustine Ikwue, a Federal Road Safety Corp official who died in Lokoja and was being transported to Otukpo, Benue State, for burial.

The Command confirms that an abduction incident occurred on 9 July 2026 along the Ochadamu–Ejule Expressway when armed hoodlums attacked a Hummer bus conveying a corpse from Lokoja towards the eastern part of the country and abducted the occupants into the bush.

— ASP Salisu OyizaKogi State Police Command's Public Relations Officer, confirming the incident.

The incident occurred on July 9, 2026, when armed individuals attacked a Hummer bus carrying the corpse. The attackers abducted the occupants into the bush, abandoning the vehicle and the casket. The abandoned vehicle and casket were later recovered and the casket was deposited at the Elemona Mortuary in Ejule.

The abandoned vehicle and casket were recovered, while the casket was evacuated to Elemona Mortuary, Ejule.

— ASP Salisu OyizaDetailing the initial recovery efforts.

Upon receiving the report, a joint security operation involving police operatives, the military, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, and Community Policing members was swiftly mobilized. The teams immediately commenced bush-combing and rescue operations. Surveillance and patrols have been reinforced along major highways in the area, with ongoing efforts to locate and rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible.

As of today, the joint security operation has been intensified, with operatives continuing bush-combing operations in the Ugbakpedo and Ofejiji forests, while surveillance and patrols have also been reinforced along major highways in the area.

— ASP Salisu OyizaProviding an update on the ongoing security operations.

Police spokesperson ASP Salisu Oyiza assured the public that updates would be provided as more information becomes available. The joint security operation continues with intensified bush-combing in the Ugbakpedo and Ofejiji forests.

Efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

— ASP Salisu OyizaAssuring the public about the continued efforts and future updates.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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