Along the Ogobia–Otukpo Road in the state's Ohimini Local Government Area, three siblings were allegedly kidnapped by suspected armed herdsmen while traveling from Abuja to Benue State with the remains of their late mother.

While carrying their mother's remains from Abuja to their village of Iklenyi in Okpokwu Local Government Area, LGA, for burial, the victims were allegedly abducted in the early hours of Saturday between the communities of Omutele and Ankpechi.

The family's travel was delayed until the early hours of the morning due to a mechanical issue with their vehicle, according to a source acquainted with the matter.

“Even at about 2am they were still on the road because their vehicle had broken down. After repairing it, they continued the journey because they were determined to take their mother’s body home for burial,” the source said.

The source claims that the three siblings stayed in touch with their family members during the journey till they came to the section of road between the settlements of Omutele and Ankpechi, where they were allegedly ambushed by armed men.

“It was the three of them travelling with the corpse of their mother. When they got to that area, the armed men abducted all three siblings and even took the corpse of their mother into the bush. As we speak, they are still being held,” the source added.

The source called the tragedy "heartbreaking" and urged security services to step up efforts to save the injured and retrieve the deceased's bodies.

Source