Benue Links Transit, the Benue State Government-owned transport company, has confirmed the arrest of its driver after gunmen abducted passengers, including candidates for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), on Wednesday evening.
The attack happened at the Benue Burnt Bricks axis along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, when a Benue Links bus traveling from Makurdi to Otukpo was intercepted around 8 p.m. by armed men who robbed the occupants and took most of them into the bush.
The bus was conveying about 18 passengers, mainly young people heading to Otukpo to sit for JAMB exams scheduled for Thursday.
Benue State Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari, who is personally leading rescue efforts in the area, said 14 passengers were kidnapped while one escaped, and confirmed that tactical teams have been mobilized to track the kidnappers.
He noted that an investigation has commenced into the circumstances of the journey, adding that the transport company has a policy against night travel which the driver allegedly violated by picking up passengers after official hours.
Benue Links General Manager Alexander Fanafa said the driver is in police custody and being questioned for breaching the company’s strict directive that forbids journeys beyond 6 p.m., explaining that the driver loaded passengers after the park had officially closed and bypassed internal checks put in place to prevent such risks. Fanafa stated that any driver who flouts the rule exposes passengers to danger and will be treated as a suspect.
