The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the kidnapping of several passengers, including candidates sitting for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), after an attack by suspected gunmen in Otukpo.
The incident involved a commercial bus operated by Benue Links, which was reportedly intercepted along the Benue Burnt Bricks axis of Otukpo Local Government Area between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15.
According to initial accounts, the attackers ambushed the vehicle, dispossessed passengers of their belongings, and subsequently forced them into the surrounding bush.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, explained that the bus was carrying about 18 passengers when it ran into the assailants at approximately 8:00 p.m.
“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 (Thursday),” he said.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, disclosed that 14 passengers were abducted, while one individual successfully escaped.
“I am in Otukpo now with all my team and DPOs who are here in the bush, and I 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 security forces have launched a full-scale operation, with personnel already deployed into nearby forest areas to locate the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The police commissioner also indicated that an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the journey, particularly why the trip took place at night.
“We know that Benue Links has a policy and don’t usually drive at night. So from what I got, they have already closed, but the driver, for reasons best known to him which we are still trying to find out, picked passengers along the road, and when he came here, the story you have is what we are having.
“But as we are investigating, we are on the ground to make sure that the victims are rescued,” Emenari said.
Meanwhile, the management of Benue Links has acknowledged the incident, noting that the driver involved is currently under investigation for allegedly breaching the company’s policy against night travel.
