The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of several passengers, including candidates of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, following an attack by suspected gunmen in Otukpo.
The incident involved a commercial bus belonging to Benue Links, which was reportedly ambushed along the Benue Burnt Bricks axis of Otukpo Local Government Area between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15.
According to sources, the assailants waylaid the bus and robbed the occupants of their belongings before whisking them away into the bush.
An eyewitness, who spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, said the vehicle, carrying about 18 passengers, encountered the attackers around 8:00 p.m.
“The passengers were mainly young persons heading to Otukpo to sit for the JAMB examination scheduled for Thursday.
“Two people, the driver and one passenger, managed to escape. Incidentally, the passengers were mainly young men and women who travelled to sit for the JAMB examination scheduled for today (Thursday),” he said.
Confirming the development, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, stated that 14 passengers were abducted, while one managed to escape.
“I am in Otukpo now with all my team and DPOs who are here in the bush, and I am heading the operation.
“What happened was that one Benue Links bus carrying passengers coming to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums, and 14 passengers were kidnapped, but one was able to escape,” he said.
The police commissioner noted that a full-scale rescue operation is ongoing, with security operatives already deployed to the forest to track down the kidnappers and secure the victims’ release.
He added that the command has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the trip, particularly the decision to embark on the journey at night.
“We know that Benue Links has a policy and don’t usually drive at night. So from what I got, they have already closed, but the driver, for reasons best known to him which we are still trying to find out, picked passengers along the road, and when he came here, the story you have is what we are having.
“But as we are investigating, we are on the ground to make sure that the victims are rescued,” Emenari said.
Meanwhile, the management of Benue Links confirmed the incident, disclosing that the driver is currently under investigation for allegedly violating the company’s directive against night travel.
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