Gunmen have kidnapped several passengers, including candidates sitting for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.
The victims were travelling in a bus operated by Benue Links from Makurdi to Otukpo when the attack occurred on Wednesday night.
According to a source, the vehicle, which carried about 18 passengers, was ambushed around 8 p.m. near Otukpo by suspected bandits. Most of the occupants were reportedly taken into nearby bush paths.
The source explained that the passengers were largely young individuals heading to Otukpo to participate in the UTME organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Two individuals, including the driver, were said to have escaped during the incident.
Confirming the attack, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, stated that 14 passengers were abducted while one person managed to escape.
He disclosed that he was in Otukpo coordinating rescue efforts alongside security personnel, adding that an investigation had begun into the circumstances surrounding the journey.
The police chief also noted that the transport company has a policy against night travel, suggesting that the driver may have picked up passengers outside official operating hours.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed that security operatives had been deployed to the forest to track down the attackers and rescue the victims.
He reiterated that many of those abducted were students travelling to sit for the examination.
The Makurdi–Otukpo road has recorded several similar attacks in recent months, raising concerns over the safety of travellers in the area.
