WorldStage– The Benue State arm of the Nigeria Police Command has confirmed that two abducted passengers from a commercial bus in Wednesday attack successfully have escaped their captors.
The victims were part of a group of 14 passengers, predominantly UTME candidates, who were kidnapped on Wednesday night of April 15, 2026 along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BGT 234 S4 belonging to Benue Links Limited.
Mostly young men and women traveling to sit for their JAMB examinations scheduled for Thursday in Otukpo were among passengers in the bus at the time of the attack.
The vehicle was intercepted by gunmen near the Otukpo Burnt Bricks area between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday with the he driver and one passenger managing to flee during the ambush while 14 passengers were initially taken into the surrounding forest.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, is said to be personally leading a joint security operation involving tactical teams and local officers to comb the bushes for the remaining victims.
The police have arrested one suspect in connection with the attack, with preliminary findings indicating the bus driver allegedly violated the transport company’s “no-night-travel” policy.
Authorities noted that the driver picked up passengers randomly after official hours without a formal manifest, which increased their exposure to the attack.
