Late Wednesday evening, April 15, armed bandits ambushed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination—UTME— students’ bus on the Makurdi-Otukpo road, abducting 14 of the 18 candidates heading to Thursday’s UTME in Otukpo.

According to an unidentified source: “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,” the source said.

Confirming the incident, Ifeanyi Emenari, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, said 14 passengers were abducted. “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 investigations had begun into the circumstances surrounding the trip. According to him, the transport company 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 police commissioner added.

Criticism mounted over JAMB’s early exam schedules forcing risky journeys in bandit-prone zones, with Governor Hyacinth Alia condemning the attack as families await rescues.