What was meant to be a final journey home for a retired senior officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has ended in tragedy after armed men reportedly intercepted the funeral convoy conveying his remains to Benue State and abducted the corpse alongside family members and other mourners.
The incident, which has further underscored growing insecurity along parts of the North Central corridor, reportedly occurred around 6 p.m. on Thursday along the Ochadamu-Ejule Road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
According to the information shared by media personality Oseni Rufai in the early hours of Sunday, the late officer, Augustine O. Ikwue, a retired Deputy Corps Commander of the FRSC, was being transported from Osogbo, Osun State, where he reportedly died after a brief illness, to his hometown in Otukpo, Benue State, for burial when the convoy ran into an ambush mounted by suspected kidnappers.
Family sources said the attackers have since established contact with relatives and demanded a ransom of N450 million for the release of the abducted victims.
It remained unclear on Friday whether the kidnappers intended to release the late officer’s remains separately or whether the corpse is being held together with the living victims.
The reported abduction has shocked relatives and residents, not only because of the scale of the ransom demand but also because the attackers allegedly seized the body of a man whose family had embarked on what should have been a solemn funeral journey.
The attack adds another disturbing dimension to Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, where criminal gangs increasingly target highways linking different parts of the country.
The Ochadamu-Ejule axis, where the incident reportedly occurred, has repeatedly featured in reports of armed attacks and abductions. The road serves as a major route connecting Kogi State to Benue and other parts of the North Central region which makes it a critical transport corridor for travellers moving between southern and northern Nigeria.
While attacks on commercial buses and passenger vehicles have become common, cases involving funeral convoys are comparatively rare, making Thursday’s incident particularly unsettling.
The late Augustine Ikwue was said to have served in the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) until his retirement as a Deputy Corps Commander, one of the senior operational ranks within the agency.
As of Friday, there was no official confirmation from either the Kogi State Police Command or the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on the reported abduction or the ransom demand.
It was also unclear whether security agencies had launched a coordinated rescue operation.
The reported demand for N450 million ranks among the higher ransom figures recently associated with highway abductions in the country, although security agencies have repeatedly discouraged families from paying kidnappers, arguing that ransom payments fuel further criminal activity.
Nigeria has witnessed a steady rise in kidnapping for ransom over the past decade, with criminal groups increasingly targeting highways, schools, farming communities and travellers.
Despite intensified military operations and police deployments in several states, attacks continue to expose the security risks facing Nigerians undertaking interstate journeys.
For the family of the late FRSC officer, however, the tragedy has taken an even more painful turn.
Instead of preparing for burial rites, relatives are now confronted with negotiations over the fate of both the mourners and the remains of the deceased.
The incident is expected to heighten calls for stronger security presence along major highways, particularly routes that have become notorious for ambushes, as concerns mount over the ability of criminal gangs to operate with apparent freedom on some of the country’s busiest roads.
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