Benue abductions: How my dark clothes helped me escape from kidnappers – Survivor

• Trip unauthorised, driver in police custody – Benue Links

From Scholastica Hir Makurdi

For many students, the journey to writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is usually filled with anxiety about questions, time, and network, among other issues. But on the evening of Wednesday, April 15, 2026, for a group of young candidates travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo in Benue State, their anxiety quickly turned into a desperate struggle for survival.

Between 7pm and 8pm on the fateful day, some students and other passengers had boarded an 18-seater bus belonging to Benue Links Nigeria Limited, the Benue State owned transport company, in Makurdi, en route Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, where they hoped to write their JAMB exams the following day.

It was like any normal day. But none of the students had imagined that the journey meant to shape their future would lead them deep into a forest in the hands of armed kidnappers.

Our correspondent gathered that at about 8pm on that faithful day, around Taraku, their vehicle was accosted by men of the underworld who attacked and abducted the occupants. Besides the driver who was missing after the vehicle was jolted to a halt, only one person was said to have escaped initially from the kidnappers den.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, CP Ifeanyi Emenari confirmed the incident, saying he had led a team of officers to Otukpo and was combing the bushes to ensure the passengers were rescued.

One of the victims who escaped miraculously from the kidnappers, simply identified as Francis, has narrated a harrowing experience on the night he prayed and God to save his life.

The survivor, in a viral video making the rounds on social media, said they were attacked by fierce looking men who wielded sophisticated weapons including AK-47 and machete.

They had left the park in Makurdi at about 7pm and on getting to Taraku, along Makurdi -Otukpo road, the journey turned into a nightmare.

“Immediately we reached there, we saw five men standing on the road. They were all holding guns, AK-47 and long knives. They ordered everybody to come down,” Francis recalled.

Within seconds, it had dawned on them that they were in trouble.

“So we began to come down, and they started beating us. They spoke English to us but spoke Hausa when they want to speak to themselves.

We were laying helpless on the ground when one of them inquired to know where the driver was and we said we don’t know.

The survivor recalled further that immediately their vehicle was stopped, “the driver just disappeared like that. And when they asked us his whereabouts, we said we didn’t see the driver.” Their answer rather angered the abductors who beat them the more and ordered every passenger to match into the bush.

“As we were getting up, they pushed us and shouted orders.” In a moment , every passenger was searched and disposed of their valuable items.

The survivor said: “As we were moving deep into the bush, they saw my hand. I bought one new watch recently and I was wearing it. They just forced the watch from my wrist, which gave me some wounds.

“They still asked what else I had with me and I said I don’t have anything. So they took us all to one camp. They said everybody must sit down and we sat down. They asked us one by one, which work we do for a living? Some say they were going to write JAMB in Otukpko.

“Three of us in the vehicle were just coming back from the police screening. The other guy did his screening on 15th April and I was screened on 14 April and we were on our way back when the incident occurred.

“So they took us deep into the bush, very far. Then they kept beating and slapping us. They asked us to bring what we have. They inquired what I was going to do in Otukpko, I told them I was going to write my JAMB.

Then they started searching us and asking us to bring the things we had. They were collecting everything they saw. They collected my money, N21,000 with my handset. At first they asked me where my handset was. I told them I didn’t have any.

“But immediately I said that, someone called me and my phone began to ring and one of the guys they called “Dogo” came and collected the phone and slapped me. After they were done collecting the items, they ordered everybody to keep moving.”

As darkness came, and the walk became tedious, Francis said they all became tired but he had to say a prayer of faith.

“I quickly remember I had one chaplet with me so I put the head in my mouth and began to pray. Even when other victims were all tired and couldn’t pray any longer, I continued to pray.

“I was telling my God that Fulani fight is not my portion, Fulani cannot kill me, Jesus save me, Jesus save me, Oh! Jesus save me.”

“As we were moving, I noticed that I was wearing black from up to down, I told myself that if I leave the line, they won’t see me.”

He said as they spoke in whispers, the others told him it was a dangerous chance to take because while two of the abductors were in front giving direction, three others were behind.

But he said he took the chance anyway, assuring himself that he would not run but leave silently. He said he also noticed that the abductors were scared to flash their torchlight to avoid being noticed since they passed through some villages which were near a community called Otukpo Nobi.

“I said to myself that since there’s no torch and everywhere was dark, this is my opportunity. So I just left the line and hid behind some leaves. They all came and passed me. That was when I came out and began to run. I didn’t see anyone, I didn’t also know where the road was but I was just running. I got to a point and I saw one road, I jumped on the road and continued running.

Francis might have run up to eight hours, but it was a race for dear life. “From that 8pm, I ran until I got to Otukpo Nobi at about 4am.It was there that I met some Idoma people going to work that early morning.”

The survivor expressed worries that though God saved him, the remaining 17 people are still with the abductors inside the bush.

“Even the old man that was with us, I saw them slap the old man. There was also an old woman.

“I didn’t expect this at all. God just did it for me. My worry was that nobody even knew that we were kidnapped. Nobody witnessed it. So how would people know where we are if we die here? That was what I was thinking before God saved me,” he said.

Trip unauthorised, says Benue Links

Meanwhile, the Management of Benue Links Nigeria Limited has confirmed the incident involving one of its vehicles, which occurred on the night of Wednesday, 15th April 2026, at the Ikobi area in Otukpo LGA of the State.

The General Manager, Comrade Alexander Fanafa, who described the incident as unfortunate, stated that the said trip was unauthorised and conducted in clear violation of the company’s operational guidelines.

Fanafa, in a statement signed by the company’s Information Officer, Johnson Daniel, explained that “There is a standing directive prohibiting all company vehicles from undertaking journeys beyond 6:00pm due to prevailing security challenges.

“The driver, acting without the knowledge or approval of management, removed the vehicle from the company’s premises, picked up passengers and embarked on the journey without due documentation or clearance.

“As a result of this breach of protocol, the trip was not officially recorded and the company currently does not have comprehensive details of the affected passengers, aside from indications that a majority were JAMB candidates.”

According to the statement, the driver involved is presently in police custody and investigations are on-going to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

The General Manager, on behalf of management and staff of the company, expressed deep sympathy with the families of the affected passengers. He said the company was working closely with relevant security agencies to support on-going efforts aimed at securing the safe release of the abducted passengers.

He reiterated the commitment of Benue Links to the safety and security of its passengers, saying they would continue to enforce strict compliance with its operational policies to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

He noted also that reports indicate that the vehicle, an 18-seater bus, was conveying passengers, most of whom were candidates scheduled to sit for the JAMB) examination the following day, when it was attacked by armed persons. He said during the incident, the driver and a few passengers managed to escape, while 15 passengers were reportedly abducted. Two of the abducted passengers subsequently escaped, bringing the number of those currently unaccounted for to 13.