Gunmen Abduct 14 JAMB Candidates in Benue Attack on Makurdi–Otukpo Road
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted at least 14 passengers, many of them candidates preparing for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, in a late-night attack along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road in Benue State.
Information obtained by PulseNets indicates that the victims were travelling in a commercial vehicle en route to Otukpo on Wednesday night ahead of their examination scheduled for Thursday, April 16.
Sources who spoke to PulseNets revealed that the attackers struck between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm, intercepting the vehicle and forcefully taking away the occupants.
PulseNets learnt that the vehicle involved belongs to the state-owned transport company, Benue Links. During the нападение, the driver and one passenger reportedly escaped, while the remaining travellers were abducted and taken to an unknown destination.
Confirming the development, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, told journalists that the victims were mostly young candidates heading into the town for their examinations.
“The victims are young people coming to Otukpo to write JAMB. Security agents have been deployed and efforts are ongoing to rescue them.”
Further confirmation came from the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Enemari, who told journalists that he is personally coordinating rescue efforts in the area.
“I’m in Otukpo now. My team and all DPOs are in the bush, and I am heading the operation.
“What happened was that a Benue Links bus carrying passengers to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums. Fourteen passengers were kidnapped, but one managed to escape,” Enemari said.
He added that preliminary findings suggest the vehicle may have been operating outside officially approved hours.
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“Benue Links, as a policy, does not usually operate at night. From what we gathered, official operations had closed, but the driver, for reasons we are still investigating, picked up passengers along the road. When he got here, the incident occurred. We are on the ground to make sure the victims are rescued,” he said.
Authorities have intensified search operations across surrounding areas as concerns grow over the safety of candidates travelling for national examinations.
