Five passengers abducted during an attack on state-owned commercial bus along Makurdi-Otukpo Road in Benue State have been recovered while 13 other victims are still being held by the abductors.
Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, confirmed that the five passengers recovered were among those attacked on Wednesday night while travelling in a Benue Links bus heading towards Otukpo.
Speaking with journalists in Makurdi, Emenari disclosed that 18 persons, including the driver, were in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
He explained that three passengers were originally not taken by the attackers while two managed to escape.
“For now, we cannot say exactly what happened because the driver picked some passengers along the road,” the police commissioner said.
He added that preliminary investigations had not confirmed whether any of the victims were candidates of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, although there were suspicions that one or two might be affected.
“The most important thing now is to rescue the passengers, regardless of who they are.
The 13 victims are still in a danger zone,” he stated.
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Emenari assured residents that security operatives had intensified efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims, noting that rescue teams had been deployed to the area.
“We are on top of the situation. Our teams are in Otukpo, and we will not relent until the last victim is rescued. We have put in motion strategies to flush out criminals from the bush,” he said.
The police boss also revealed that broader security operations were ongoing across the state, particularly in Apa and Logo Local Government Areas, to curb rising criminal activities.
He noted that the current farming season often coincides with increased security challenges, including farmer-herder clashes, but insisted that authorities were taking proactive steps to prevent escalation.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Government owned transport company, Benue Links has confirmed the arrest of its driver whose commercial bus was conveying the passengers following their reported abduction.
The management of the company distanced itself from the incident, confirming that the driver violated standing safety regulations by embarking on the trip outside approved hours.
The company’s General Manager, Alexander Fanafa, disclosed that the driver is currently in police custody and undergoing interrogation for breaching a strict policy prohibiting night travel.
“Our policy clearly forbids journeys beyond 6pm, and any driver who flouts this rule exposes passengers to danger and will be treated as a suspect,” he noted.
He further explained that the driver loaded passengers after the park had officially closed for the day, bypassing internal checks put in place to prevent such risks.
The passengers were reportedly travelling to Otukpo, with some believed to be heading for the ongoing UTME examinations when the attack occurred.
(Editor: Roluke Ogundele)
