TheCable

The family of the late Israel Ugwuanyi says his body which was abducted by some gunmen has been recovered in a forest in Enugu. 

On Sunday, gunmen abducted an unidentified number of passengers, including the body of the deceased at Umuoka community in Udi LGA, Enugu state.

The victims were said to be heading to Enugu from Lagos for the burial of the late Ugwuanyi when their bus was attacked.

The kidnappers demanded N50 million ransom for the release of those abducted, including the body of the deceased.

However, on Wednesday, a family member confirmed to TheCable that the decomposed body of the deceased was recovered from a forest near the 9th-mile corner in Udi LGA of the state.

The source said the body was found by a troop of soldiers combing the forest on Tuesday morning.

The family member said the soldiers took the body to a nearby police station for onward deposit at a morgue but was rejected.

The source said the soldiers reached out to the deceased family through one of the retrieved phones of the kidnapped victims.

“We were running about seeking help on how to get the corpse and our other brothers released from captivity when the number called,” the source said.

“It turned out to be a soldier and he told us how they found the corpse. He told us to come to the police station at 9th Mile, where they would hand over the corpse to be deposited to a mortuary.

“But as we headed to Enugu to meet them, the army man called again that the police had rejected the corpse. We pleaded with them to help us deposit it to any nearby mortuary so that we will meet them there.”

On the other members and driver who are still in captivity, the source said the family and community are yet to raise the money demanded by the kidnappers.