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

The victims were said to be travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo Local Government Area on Wednesday evening to sit for their examinations when the incident occurred. The bus involved, an 18-seater Benue Links vehicle, was ambushed a few kilometres from Otukpo town around 7pm.

A local source said the attackers intercepted the vehicle on the highway and forced all 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 while the bus was fully loaded, 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 added.

Confirming the incident, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, said tactical teams and Divisional Police Officers had been deployed to the area to lead rescue efforts.

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

He explained that the bus was attacked by hoodlums while conveying passengers to Otukpo, adding that 14 passengers were kidnapped, while one escaped.

Emenari also expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the trip, 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,” he said.

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