Armed gunmen have abducted no fewer than 14 passengers, many of them believed to be candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening as the victims were travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo Local Government Area to sit for their examination.
The passengers were reportedly on board an 18-seater Benue Links bus when the vehicle was ambushed a few kilometres from Otukpo town at about 7 p.m.
according to VANGUARD report, sources said the attackers intercepted the bus on the highway and forcefully marched 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,” a source disclosed.
The bus was said to be fully occupied 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,” the source 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 coordinate 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, in a separate incident in Kwara State, suspected terrorists abducted a school proprietor and four farmers in Odo-Ore community in Isin Local Government Area.
The attackers, said to be about 10 in number, stormed the community on Wednesday evening, firing sporadically before abducting five residents.
Among those abducted was Yusuf Yunusa, a school proprietor and politician, who was reportedly taken from his residence after the gunmen forcefully gained entry into his home.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the attack 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.
The attackers also abducted four farmers said to be leaving the community at the time.
Residents said the area lacks adequate security presence, adding that the attack has left the community in fear.
A senior police officer at the Owu-Isin Divisional Headquarters confirmed the incident, while the Kwara State Police Command had yet to officially respond as of press time.
VANGUARD