Gunmen Abduct 14 Passengers, JAMB Candidates, in a Bus Attack

No fewer than 14 passengers, many believed to be candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), have been abducted by gunmen along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road in Benue State.

The victims were reportedly travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo Local Government Area on Wednesday evening to sit for their scheduled UTME examination when the attack occurred.

Sources said the victims were on board an 18-seater Benue Links bus that was ambushed by the gunmen a few kilometres from Otukpo town at about 7 p.m.

According to a local source, the attackers intercepted the vehicle on the highway and forced the passengers into a nearby forest.

“The passengers were marched into the bush. From what we gathered, most of them were students heading to Otukpo to write the JAMB examination,” the source said.

The bus was said to be fully occupied at the time of the attack, but about four persons, including the driver, reportedly managed to escape.

Security operatives have since launched a search operation to rescue the abducted victims and track down the perpetrators.

Confirming the incident, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ifeanyi Emenari, said he had deployed tactical teams and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to the area to lead rescue efforts.

“I am currently in Otukpo. All my teams and DPOs are in the bush, and I am personally heading the operation,” Emenari said.

He explained that the bus conveying the passengers was intercepted by hoodlums, resulting in the abduction of 14 passengers, while one person managed to escape.

The commissioner also expressed concern over the circumstances of the journey, noting that Benue Links does not operate night travel services.

“Benue Links, as a policy, does not usually travel at night. From the information available, the company had already closed for the day, but the driver, for reasons still under investigation, picked up passengers along the road, which led to the incident,” he stated.

Emenari assured that investigations were ongoing and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safe rescue of the abducted passengers and the arrest of those responsible.