Gunmen have reportedly abducted 14 passengers, mostly candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Benue State.

The candidates were kidnapped on a commercial bus travelling from Makurdi, the state capital, to Otukpo in Benue State.

They were scheduled to sit for their examinations on Thursday but the incident occurred between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m, on Wednesday.

The bus, which was conveying about 16 passengers—mainly young men and women—was ambushed by armed attackers along the route.

Sources said only the driver and one passenger managed to escape the attack.

The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi, said the victims were heading for their examinations when the attackers struck.

“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.

Efforts to obtain a response from Benue Links, the state-owned transport company which owns the attacked bus, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as neither the spokesperson nor the General Manager responded to calls or messages.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had yet to receive an official report of the incident.

“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, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, confirmed the development, stating that he was personally leading an operation in Otukpo to rescue the victims.

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

He explained that the bus was intercepted by armed men, resulting in the abduction of 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.

The police commissioner also noted that the bus may 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.

Enemari assured that security operatives are working to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted passengers.

“We are on the ground to make sure the victims are rescued,” he said. (Daily Trust)

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