14 Abducted as Gunmen Attack Bus Carrying UTME Candidates in Benue

Gunmen have abducted several passengers, including candidates scheduled to sit for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night when a Benue Links bus travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo was attacked. According to a source familiar with the situation, the vehicle was intercepted near Otukpo around 8 p.m. by suspected bandits, who forced most of the passengers into nearby bushland.

The bus reportedly carried about 18 passengers, many of them young people heading to Otukpo to write the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination scheduled for Thursday.

Two individuals—the driver and one passenger—escaped during the attack, the source said.

However, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, provided a slightly different account, stating that 14 passengers were abducted while one person managed to escape. He confirmed that he is currently in Otukpo coordinating rescue efforts alongside divisional police officers and other security personnel.

Emenari also disclosed that an investigation has begun, focusing in part on the circumstances of the journey. He noted that Benue Links operates a policy restricting night travel, but preliminary findings suggest the driver may have picked up passengers outside approved hours.

Local authorities have confirmed the incident. The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said security operatives have been deployed into surrounding forests to locate and rescue the victims.

He added that most of those abducted are students travelling to sit for the UTME.

The Makurdi–Otukpo road has recorded a series of attacks in recent months, raising ongoing concerns about the safety of travellers in the area.