Gunmen Abduct 14 UTME Candidates in Benue State

On Wednesday night, gunmen abducted 14 candidates and other passengers traveling along the Makurdi-Otukpo road in Benue State, as they were en route to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scheduled for Thursday. The attack occurred around 8 PM when the vehicle was intercepted near Otukpo.

According to sources, the victims were primarily young men and women heading to take the JAMB examination. Two individuals, the driver and one passenger, managed to escape during the incident.

Ifeanyi Emenari, the state police commissioner, confirmed that 14 passengers were abducted and that investigations into the circumstances surrounding the journey are underway. The police have also deployed a team to the area to coordinate rescue operations.

Maxwell Ogiri, the chairman of the Otukpo Local Government Area, confirmed the incident and stated that security measures are being enhanced in the area due to the increasing frequency of such attacks.