Armed men have reportedly abducted no fewer than 14 passengers, many of them believed to be candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organized by 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 7 p.m.
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 exams,” the source said.
He informed 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. Fourteen 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.
Meanwhile, suspected terrorists abducted a school proprietor and four farmers in Odo-Ore community in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The attackers, said to be about 10 in number, stormed the community on Wednesday evening, firing sporadically before abducting five residents.
It was gathered that the community has no police station or security presence to repel the attack, which has left residents in fear. Sources said the incident marked the first time such an attack had occurred in the area.
According to findings, the gunmen went straight to the residence of Yusuf Yunusa, a prominent politician and school proprietor, at about 11 p.m.
They reportedly forced their way through the gate, broke the main door of the house, and abducted him at gunpoint while he was preparing to sleep. Yunusa, who also owns a private school in Lagos, had arrived in Odo-Ore earlier that day.
Four other victims, said to be Hausa farmers, were abducted by the attackers while they were leaving the community.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the attack on Yunusa may have been aided by informants.
“The terrorists’ attack on Alhaji Yusuf can be attributed to informants because they went straight to his residence to abduct him.
“He was preparing to sleep around 11 p.m. when they forced their way through his gate, broke the main door of his house and took him away,” the source said.
A senior police officer at the Owu-Isin Divisional Headquarters confirmed the incident.
However, the Kwara State Police Command had yet to respond to the development as of press time, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi, were not answered.
