Gunmen Kidnap JAMB Candidates Travelling for UTME Exam in Benue

At least 14 passengers, most of them candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), have been abducted by suspected gunmen along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State.

The attack occurred on Wednesday evening, April 15, 2026, between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., as the victims were travelling in a commercial bus from Makurdi to Otukpo. The UTME examination was scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 16, 2026, meaning the abducted candidates have now missed the national examination.

The ill-fated vehicle was an 18-seater Benue Links bus. Reports indicate that armed men intercepted the vehicle on the highway and forcefully marched most of the passengers into a nearby forest. Only the driver and one passenger managed to escape from the scene, while the remaining occupants were taken away by the gunmen.

The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the development and expressed deep concern over the abduction. “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.

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, confirmed the abduction and disclosed that he was personally leading the rescue operation in the area. “I’m in Otukpo now. My team and all DPOs are in the bush, and I am heading the operation,” Enemari stated.

Providing further details about the incident, Enemari explained, “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.”

The Commissioner of Police also raised concerns that the bus might have been operating outside approved hours, as Benue Links has a standing policy against night travel due to the prevailing security situation in the state. “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,” Enemari added.

The General Manager of Benue Links, Dr. Alexander Fanafa, confirmed that the driver is currently in police custody for allegedly flouting the company’s directive. Fanafa explained that there is a subsisting order that none of the company’s vehicles should embark on any trip after 6:00 p.m. because of the security situation, particularly in Benue State. He noted that JAMB candidates were desperate to make it to Otukpo that night to sit for their exam the following day, and the driver decided to take the vehicle outside the company’s premises to load passengers without management’s knowledge.

Fanafa lamented the tragic outcome, stating, “The most painful aspect is that they have missed their exams and JAMB doesn’t reschedule. Now the kids would be forced to miss a whole session even if they are rescued, which by God’s grace, they will. I feel terrible that this whole thing is caused by our driver. How will the parents be feeling now?”

The General Manager also advised that JAMB should consider allowing candidates to sit for examinations within their localities because of the exigencies of the times, rather than exposing candidates, many of whom are minors, to the dangers of travelling long distances.

Security operatives, including tactical teams and Divisional Police Officers, have been deployed to the forest around Otukpo and are currently combing the area in an effort to track down the kidnappers and secure the safe rescue of the abducted passengers. The Makurdi-Otukpo axis has been repeatedly targeted by gunmen in recent months, with similar incidents reported along the same corridor.