Passengers travelling for JAMB exams ambushed on Makurdi–Otukpo road as police launch rescue operation

Gunmen have abducted several passengers, including candidates sitting for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway in Benue State.

The victims were travelling in a Benue Links bus from Makurdi to Otukpo when the attackers struck on Wednesday night. The bus, reportedly carrying about 18 passengers, was intercepted around 8 p.m. near Otukpo by suspected bandits.

Sources revealed that most of the passengers—largely young men and women heading to write their JAMB examinations scheduled for Thursday—were forcefully taken into the bush

Two individuals, including the driver and a passenger, managed to escape the attack.

Confirming the incident, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, disclosed that 14 passengers were abducted, noting that one victim escaped.

The police chief added that he is currently in Otukpo overseeing efforts to rescue the victims and track down the perpetrators.