Gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, have abducted 14 passengers, including candidates heading to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.
The victims were said to be travelling in a Benue Links bus when they were ambushed around 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
A local source said the attackers struck while the bus was en route from Makurdi to Otukpo.
“The Benue Links bus was moving from Makurdi to Otukpo when it was attacked by suspected herdsmen, who abducted the passengers. Only the driver and one other person escaped. Most of the victims are young people going to Otukpo for JAMB,” the source said.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident, saying it happened between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and that the victims were mostly JAMB candidates.
“They are young people coming to Otukpo to write the JAMB examination,” he said, adding that security operatives had been deployed for rescue operations.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, also confirmed the attack, saying he was already leading a team of officers in the area.
“I am in Otukpo now. All my men are in the bush, and I am leading the operation,” he said.
Emenari said 14 passengers were abducted while one person escaped during the attack.
He added that the bus was likely operating outside official hours, noting that Benue Links vehicles are not expected to operate at night.
“Benue Links, as a policy, does not operate at night. From what we gathered, operations had closed, but the driver picked passengers along the road,” he said.
The police commissioner assured that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims and apprehend the attackers.
