Bandits Abduct Mourners, Seize Corpse of FRSC Officer in Fresh Sign of Kogi’s Deepening Insecurity

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Jul 15, 2026 #Augustine Ikwue, #Benue funeral attack, #breaking news Nigeria, #Dekina school kidnapping, #FRSC officer corpse, #Kogi bandits, #Kogi funeral convoy attack, #Kogi insecurity, #Kogi kidnapping, #Kogi Police, #Kogi school attack, #NECO students abducted, #Nigeria insecurity, #Ochadamu-Ejule Expressway

Segun Atanda/

The growing insecurity in Kogi State has taken another disturbing turn after armed bandits attacked a funeral convoy, abducted mourners and seized the corpse of a deceased Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer.

The Kogi State Police Command confirmed that the attack occurred on July 9 along the Ochadamu-Ejule Expressway, when armed men ambushed a Hummer bus conveying the body of Augustine Ikwue, an FRSC official who died in Lokoja, to his hometown in Otukpo, Benue State, for burial.

In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Salisu Oyiza, said the attackers forced the occupants into the bush after intercepting the vehicle.

“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,” she said.

Oyiza disclosed that police operatives, working with the military, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and community policing personnel, immediately launched a rescue operation.

She said the abandoned vehicle and the casket containing the deceased officer’s body were later recovered and moved to the Elemona Mortuary in Ejule, while efforts were continuing to rescue the abducted passengers and arrest those responsible.

The shocking attack has further underscored the deteriorating security situation in Kogi State, where criminal gangs have increasingly targeted travellers, communities and public institutions.

The incident came just days before another brazen attack in Dekina Local Government Area, where gunmen invaded Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, during the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, abducting the school principal, a NECO ad hoc official and four students.

Police have since rescued one of the students, while security agencies continue efforts to free the remaining victims.

The two incidents, occurring within days of each other, have heightened concerns over the safety of residents and travellers across parts of the state.