Friday, April 17, 2026 - Suspected bandits have abducted passengers including candidates of the ongoing Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination, along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State.
Punch reports that the victims were travelling in a Benue
Links bus from Makurdi to Otukpo when the vehicle was attacked on Wednesday
night, April 15.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bus,
which was conveying about 18 passengers, was intercepted near Otukpo around 8pm
by suspected bandits who took most of the occupants into the bush. According to
the source, the passengers were mainly young persons heading to Otukpo to sit
for the JAMB examination scheduled for Thursday.
“Two people,
the driver and one passenger, managed to escape. Incidentally, the passengers
were mainly young men and women who travelled to sit for the JAMB examination
scheduled for today” he said
Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner of Police,
Ifeanyi Emenari, put the number of the abducted victims at 14.
“I am in
Otukpo now with all my team and DPOs who are here in the bush and am heading
the operation. What happened was that one Benue Links bus carrying passengers
coming to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums and 14 passengers were
kidnapped but one was able to escape” he said
He added that the command had commenced an investigation
into the incident, particularly the circumstances surrounding the journey.
According to him, the Benue Links management has a policy
against night travel, but the driver allegedly picked up passengers after
official hours.
“But as we
are investigating, we are on the ground to make sure that the victims are
rescued,” the CP said
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