Gunmen abduct 14 JAMB candidates, others in Benue bus attack

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Armed men have reportedly abducted no fewer than 14 passengers, many of them believed to be candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State.

The victims were said to be travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday evening for their scheduled examination when the incident occurred.

The ill-fated vehicle, an 18-seater Benue Links bus, was ambushed by the gunmen a few kilometres from Otukpo town at about 7pm.

A source in the area disclosed that the attackers stopped the bus on the highway and forced the passengers into a nearby forest.

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

He added that the bus was fully loaded at the time of the attack, “but about four persons, including the driver, managed to escape.

“As we speak, the police and other security personnel have commenced a search operation to rescue the victims and track down the criminals,” he said.

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

“I am in Otukpo now. All my team and DPOs are in the bush, and I am personally heading the operation,” he said.

“What happened was that a Benue Links bus carrying passengers to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums. 14 passengers were kidnapped, while one managed to escape,” the Commissioner added.

He, however, expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the journey, noting that Benue Links does not operate night services.

“Benue Links, as a policy, does not usually travel at night. From the information I have, the company had already closed for the day, but the driver, for reasons we are still trying to ascertain, picked up passengers along the road. That is how the incident happened,” Emenari stated.

The Commissioner assured that investigations were ongoing and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safe rescue of the abducted passengers.

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