Gunmen abduct 14 JAMB candidates on Benue road

Unidentified gunmen have reportedly abducted at least 14 candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Benue State.

The victims were said to have been kidnapped during an attack on a commercial bus travelling along the Makurdi–Otukpo road.

Reports indicated that the passengers, mostly young candidates, were heading to Otukpo to sit for their examinations on Thursday when the attackers struck.

Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi.

“The victims are young people coming to Otukpo to write JAMB. Security agents have been deployed and efforts are ongoing to rescue them,” Ogiri said.

The latest abduction has raised fresh concerns over the safety of candidates and travellers on major roads in Benue State, where incidents of kidnapping and armed attacks have been reported in recent months.