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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, have kidnapped 14 passengers travelling in a Benue Links bus along the Makurdi–Otukpo road.
Among the victims were students heading to Otukpo to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.
The incident, according to sources, occurred at about 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
A local source said the bus was en route from Makurdi to Otukpo when it was attacked.
“The Benue Links bus was conveying passengers from Makurdi to Otukpo around 8:00 p.m. when it was attacked by suspected herdsmen, who kidnapped the passengers. Only the driver and one other person managed to escape. The victims are mostly young men and women travelling for JAMB,” the source said.
Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident, noting that it occurred between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
“They are young people coming to Otukpo to write the JAMB examination,” he said, adding that security operatives had been mobilised to rescue the victims.
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The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, also confirmed the development, saying he had led a team of officers to the area and that a rescue operation was ongoing.
“I am in Otukpo now. All my men are in the bush, and I am leading the operation,” he said.
Emenari explained that the bus was stopped and attacked by hoodlums, leading to the abduction of the passengers.
“Fourteen passengers were kidnapped, while one managed to escape,” he added.
He noted that Benue Links does not normally operate at night, suggesting that the driver may have picked up passengers after official hours.
“Benue Links, as a policy, does not operate at night. From what we gathered, operations had closed, but the driver, for reasons best known to him, picked passengers along the road. That is how the incident occurred,” he said.
The police boss assured that investigations had commenced and efforts were underway to rescue the victims.
