All Benue Kidnap Victims Rescued as Security Forces Free Remaining 13 Passengers Abducted on Makurdi-Otukpo Road

Security forces have rescued the 13 remaining passengers who were abducted from a commercial bus along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road in Benue State, bringing to a close a tense rescue operation that gripped the country following the April 15 attack on a Benue Links vehicle in the Ikobi area of Otukpo Local Government Area.

The rescue brings the total number of recovered victims to the full count of those taken by gunmen who ambushed the 18-seater bus and marched passengers at gunpoint into surrounding bush. Seven suspects connected to the abduction have also been arrested following a coordinated joint security operation in Amla Forest and adjoining areas.

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, confirmed earlier that some victims had been rescued and were receiving medical attention, while the search and rescue operation continued. The police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, described the arrests as a significant breakthrough, noting that the operation involved multiple security agencies working in a coordinated fashion.

Also Read: Gunmen Abduct UTME Candidates, Travellers in Benue Attack

According to the sequence of events, the bus carrying 18 passengers at the time of the attack was ambushed late on Wednesday night. The driver and a few others managed to escape during the initial attack, while 15 others were abducted. Two of those taken subsequently escaped on their own, leaving 13 in the kidnappers’ custody before the security forces moved in.

The incident sparked intense public concern, partly fuelled by early reports claiming many or all of the victims were students travelling to sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Both the Benue State Police Command and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board moved swiftly to debunk the claim.

JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin revealed that the abducted individuals were not UTME candidates at all, but participants in an ongoing police recruitment exercise who were returning from Makurdi to Otukpo at the time of the attack. He commended the security agencies for the rescue and urged the public to verify information before sharing.

The Benue State Police Command echoed the clarification, confirming that the victims were regular commercial passengers and were not linked to any organised examination convoy. The bus driver was also placed under interrogation over alleged violations of company protocols, with authorities alleging he travelled at night and picked up passengers outside approved procedures.

Also Read: Enugu West Raises ₦100m for Gov Mbah’s 2027 Nomination Form

The successful rescue and the arrest of seven suspects offer a measure of relief to families who endured days of anguish and uncertainty. However, the attack adds to a troubling pattern of highway abductions in Benue State and the broader North-Central region, a reminder that insecurity along Nigeria’s rural roads remains a persistent and unresolved threat to ordinary citizens going about their daily lives.