Gunmen have abducted several passengers, including candidates of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State.
The victims were reportedly travelling in a Benue Links bus from Makurdi to Otukpo when the vehicle was attacked on Wednesday night.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bus conveying about 18 passengers was intercepted near Otukpo around 8 p.m. by suspected bandits who took most of the occupants into the bush.
The source disclosed that two persons, including the driver and a passenger, escaped from the attack, adding that the victims were mostly young people travelling to Otukpo to sit for the JAMB examination scheduled for Thursday.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ifeanyi Emenari, said 14 passengers were abducted while one person escaped.
He stated that he was in Otukpo coordinating rescue efforts with security operatives already deployed to the area.
The police commissioner explained that the incident involved a Benue Links bus attacked by hoodlums while conveying passengers to Otukpo, resulting in the abduction of 14 occupants.
He added that the command had commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the journey, noting that the transport company has a policy against night travel but the driver allegedly picked up passengers after official hours.
Emenari assured that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims.
Also confirming the development, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, said security operatives had been deployed into the forest to rescue the abducted passengers.
He noted that the victims were mainly young boys and girls travelling to write the JAMB examination.
Passengers along the Makurdi–Otukpo road have faced repeated attacks by gunmen in recent months.