Suspected bandits have kidnapped several passengers, including candidates sitting for the ongoing UTME, along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.
The victims were travelling in a Benue Links bus on Wednesday night when the attackers intercepted the vehicle near Otukpo around 8 p.m., taking most of the passengers into the bush.
Sources said about 18 passengers were on board, mostly young candidates heading to Otukpo for their examination. While the driver and one passenger reportedly escaped, authorities confirmed that at least 14 people were abducted.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, said he is personally leading rescue operations in the area, with security teams combing nearby forests to locate the victims.
Officials also revealed that the journey may have violated the transport company’s no-night-travel policy, raising questions about how the trip was undertaken.
Local authorities have deployed additional security personnel as efforts intensify to rescue the abducted victims.
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