No fewer than 14 passengers, including candidates of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, were abducted by suspected gunmen on Wednesday night along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road in Benue State.
The victims were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus operated by Benue Links from Makurdi to Otukpo when the attackers intercepted the vehicle at about 8pm and whisked the passengers into a nearby forest.
Sources told PLATFORM TIMES that most of the abducted passengers were young men and women heading to Otukpo to sit for the examination scheduled for Thursday.
It was gathered that the assailants stopped the vehicle near Otukpo and forced the occupants into the bush at gunpoint.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the incident, said about 18 persons were initially on board the vehicle, adding that the driver and one passenger managed to escape during the attack.
“The passengers were mainly students going to write the JAMB examination. The gunmen took the majority of them into the forest,” the source said.
Confirming the incident, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, said 14 passengers were abducted, while one victim escaped.
The police boss disclosed that he was personally leading a rescue operation in the area, alongside other security operatives.
“I am currently in Otukpo with my team and divisional police officers. We are in the bush coordinating the rescue efforts,” he said.
Emenari added that investigations had commenced, particularly into the circumstances surrounding the journey, noting that night travel contravenes the operational policy of the transport company.
He said, “A Benue Links bus carrying passengers to Otukpo was attacked by hoodlums and 14 passengers were kidnapped. One person escaped. We are working to ensure their safe rescue.
“We are also investigating the trip because the company does not permit night travel, but the driver allegedly picked passengers outside official hours.”
Also confirming the development, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said security personnel had been deployed to the area to comb the forest for the victims.
“It is true. Security operatives have moved into the forest to rescue the kidnapped passengers. The victims are mostly young boys and girls going to write JAMB,” he said.
The Makurdi–Otukpo Road has in recent months become a hotspot for criminal activities, with repeated attacks on commuters raising fresh concerns over the safety of travellers in the state.
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