Security operatives in Benue State have successfully rescued passengers who were abducted by gunmen from a commercial bus.
Gatekeepers News reports that troops of Nigerian Army rescued 13 passengers who were kidnapped along the Makurdi–Otukpo road. The victims were found during a search-and-rescue operation in a forest in Ohimini Local Government Area in the early hours of Sunday.
The abduction occurred when gunmen intercepted a Benue Links bus on Wednesday night and took several passengers into nearby bushes. Some of the victims reportedly escaped earlier, while the remaining ones were freed during the military operation.
Initial reports suggested that some of those abducted were students travelling to sit for the 2026 UTME. However, both the police and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) disputed this, describing such claims as misinformation and stating that the passengers were instead returning from a police recruitment exercise.
In a later development, authorities confirmed that all abducted passengers have now been rescued following a joint security operation. Police also announced the arrest of seven suspects linked to the incident.
Meanwhile, some reports and officials indicated that a number of the victims were indeed UTME candidates, highlighting contradictions in earlier statements and ongoing uncertainty around the passengers’ identities.
