Gunmen abduct relative conveying dead body in Edo

SUSPECTED gunmen have abducted a relative in Benin City while accompanying a deceased family member in a hearse from Lagos to its final resting place in Enugu State.

The incident happened along the Benin bypass near Ahor, an area in Edo State.

The driver of the vehicle, with registration number LAGOS: KRD 782 GO, who gave his name as Salami Orijiwa, said they left Lagos as early as 6: 00 a. m. on Saturday to make the journey very early to Enugu.

“I carried the remains in the hearse and we were coming from Lagos and to Enugu to bury him. The younger brother of the deceased was sitting with me in the vehicle. When I first sighted them, I thought they were policemen because one of them was holding a gun standing on the right hand side of the road. I saw another one on the left carrying cutlass. At that point, I thought they were thieves. Suddenly, I saw another person in front who pointed a gun at us and shot. I quickly bent down inside the vehicle and that was how I lost control and veered into the bush and fell into a ditch. The bullet hit the vehicle behind me and the driver died on the spot,” he said.

As at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the family was still negotiating with the abductors who were said to be demanding for N5 million as ransom.

Meanwhile, when contacted to comment on the incident, Edo State Police Commissioner, Philip Ogbadu, said he was in a meeting but calls put across to the Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, were unanswered.