GUNMEN ABDUCT UTME CANDIDATES, OTHERS IN BENUE

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HOTJIST NEWS

Gunmen have taken some people from a bus, including students who are taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which is being held by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. This happened along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State.

The people on the bus were traveling from Makurdi to Otukpo when the vehicle was attacked on Wednesday night.

A person who asked not to be named because the situation is serious said the bus, which had around 18 passengers, was stopped near Otukpo around 8pm by people suspected to be bandits.

These bandits took most of the people into the forest.

According to the person, the passengers were mostly young people going to Otukpo to take the JAMB exam, which was 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.

The police commissioner in the state, Ifeanyi Emenari, said 14 passengers were taken by force, and one of them managed to run away.

Emenari gave this information during a phone call with with the press on Thursday. He was in Otukpo helping to organize the search for the missing people.

“I am in Otukpo now with all my team and DPOs who are here in the bush and 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.

He added that the command had commenced an investigation into the incident, particularly the circumstances surrounding the journey.

According to him, the Benue Links management has a policy against night travel, but the driver allegedly picked up passengers after official hours.

“But as we are investigating, we are on the ground to make sure that the victims are rescued,” the CP said.

The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, also confirmed the incident, saying security operatives had been deployed to the area.

Ogiri said, “It is true, I’m just coming out from a security meeting, and security operatives have been moved into the forest to help rescue the kidnapped victims.

“The victims are mainly young boys and girls coming to Otukpo to write JAMB.”

Passengers travelling along the Makurdi-Otukpo road have faced repeated attacks by gunmen in recent months.