AT LEAST 14 passengers, most of them candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), have been abducted by suspected gunmen in Benue State.

The incident happened on Wednesday, April 16, 2026, evening along the Makurdi–Otukpo road as the victims were travelling in a commercial bus from Makurdi to Otukpo. Majority of the victims were on their way to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scheduled for Thursday (today)

Reports indicate that the attack occurred between about 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. when armed men intercepted the vehicle and forcefully took most of the passengers into the bush. The bus was said to be carrying between 16 and 18 passengers at the time.

Only the driver and one passenger reportedly escaped from the scene.

The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the development, stating that the victims were students heading to write their JAMB examinations.

“The victims are young people coming to Otukpo to write JAMB. Security agents have been deployed, and efforts are ongoing to rescue them,” he said.

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, confirmed the abduction and disclosed that he was leading rescue efforts in the area.

“I’m in Otukpo now. My team and all DPOs are in the bush, and I am heading the operation,” he said.

He explained that the attackers stopped the bus and took away 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 added.

He also noted that the vehicle might have been operating outside approved hours, as the transport company does not usually run night trips.