Police, JAMB say Abducted Benue Travellers not UTME Candidates

The Benue state police command says passengers in a Makurdi-bound commercial bus attacked in Otukpo on Wednesday were not unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) candidates.

Udeme Edet, the command’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday that reports describing the victims as UTME candidates were “misinformation and incorrect.”

Edet said some of the victims have been rescued following a “coordinated joint security operation involving the police and other sister security agencies.”

The police spokesperson added that those rescued are currently receiving medical attention.

“The Command also wishes to clarify misinformation circulating in some news media suggesting that the victims were part of a convoy conveying students to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME),” the statement reads.

“The Command states that this claim is incorrect, as the victims were not confirmed to be part of any organised UTME-bound student convoy but passengers in a Markudi-bound bus.

“Further intelligence gathered in the course of the operation led to the arrest of seven (7) suspects, who are currently in police custody while the investigation is ongoing.”

Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) also clarified that the abducted travellers were not UTME candidates.

Fabian Benjamin, the board’s public communications adviser, said in a statement on Saturday that those involved had travelled to Makurdi to participate in an ongoing police recruitment exercise and were returning to Otukpo at the time of the incident.

“The nation’s security agencies have once again demonstrated commendable efficiency with the successful rescue of seven of the individuals who were kidnapped while travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo,” the statement reads.

“Initial reports wrongly identified them as candidates en route to sit for the 2026 UTME, a claim that has now been proven false.

“The structure of UTME examinations makes it highly unlikely for candidates who know one another to be assigned to the same centre or to travel together for the exam.

“That such a flawed account gained widespread traction highlights the need for greater responsibility in information dissemination.

“As citizens, we must cultivate the discipline of verifying facts before drawing conclusions or assigning blame. Supporting our institutions in their efforts to deliver on their mandates is far more constructive than undermining them based on unverified claims.”

Benjamin said it is “our collective hope that Nigeria’s security system continues to improve so that no citizen falls victim to such criminal acts.”