Gunmen have reportedly abducted 14 passengers, mostly candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), along a highway in Benue State.
NOP NIGERIA learnt that the victims were travelling in a commercial bus from Makurdi to Otukpo when the attackers struck on Wednesday evening.
According to Daily Trust, sources said the passengers, mainly young men and women, were on their way to Otukpo to sit for their examinations scheduled for Thursday.
The incident occurred between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., throwing families and residents into panic.
The bus, which conveyed about 16 passengers, was reportedly ambushed by armed men along the route.
It was gathered that only the driver and one passenger managed to escape from the attack, while the remaining occupants were taken away by the gunmen.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident, stating that the victims were students heading for their exams.
“The victims are young people coming to Otukpo to write JAMB. Security agents have been deployed and efforts are ongoing to rescue them,” Ogiri said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, said she had yet to receive an official report at the time.
“I’m just hearing it from you now. I’m going to confirm and get back to you,” she said.
However, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Enemari, confirmed the development, disclosing that he was personally leading a rescue operation.
“I’m in Otukpo now. My team and all DPOs are in the bush, and I am heading the operation,” Enemari said.
Providing further details, the police commissioner said the vehicle was intercepted by armed attackers who abducted most of the passengers.
“What happened was that a Benue Links bus carrying passengers to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums. Fourteen passengers were kidnapped, but one managed to escape,” he said.
Enemari also raised concerns that the bus might have been operating outside approved hours.
“Benue Links, as a policy, does not usually operate at night. From what we gathered, official operations had closed, but the driver, for reasons we are still investigating, picked up passengers along the road. When he got here, the incident occurred,” he added.
The commissioner assured that security operatives were intensifying efforts to rescue the abducted passengers safely.
“We are on the ground to make sure the victims are rescued,” he said.
