The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), began across the country yesterday, but the exercise was shaken by a security incident in Benue State where gunmen abducted 14 people, including some candidates, while they were heading to exam centres.
The attack happened on a Benue Links commercial bus travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo. Witnesses said it took place between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The bus was carrying 16 passengers, mostly young people on their way for the examination.
Only the driver and one passenger managed to escape, while 14 others were taken away by the armed men.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident and said the victims were UTME candidates heading to write the exam when they were attacked. Security operatives have since been deployed, with rescue efforts ongoing.
“The victims are young people coming to Otukpo to write JAMB. Security agents have been deployed and efforts are ongoing to rescue them,” he said.
Attempts to get a response from Benue Links, the state-owned transport company, were not successful as of the time of filing this report.
However, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, confirmed the attack and said he was personally leading the operation in the area.
“I’m in Otukpo now; all my team and DPOs are here in the bush, and I’m 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.
“We know that Benue Links, as a policy, doesn’t usually drive at night. So, from what I got, they had already closed, but the driver, for reasons best known to him, which we are still trying to find out, picked passengers along the road, and when he came here, the story you have is what we are having.
“But we are investigating. We are on the ground to make sure that the victims are rescued. The victims comprised of passengers,” he said.
