Benue Governor Urges JAMB To Reschedule UTME For Kidnapped Students After Rescue

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reschedule the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for eight candidates who were abducted last week but have since been rescued.

The governor made this appeal on Sunday while receiving 13 of the rescued victims at the Government House in Makurdi. He emphasised that the affected students should not be disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control.

According to him, the victims were among passengers travelling to Otukpo when the incident occurred. *“Many of the students were travelling to Otukpo. Seven were regular passengers, and 15 were kidnapped that fateful day. One of the victims escaped, and another one escaped the following day.

“Today, all the remaining 13 kidnap victims were rescued by the security agents with the cooperation of the communities.

“I call on JAMB to look into the case of the eight young students and reschedule dates for them to write their examination.”*

Reports indicate that 15 out of 18 passengers on a Benue Links bus were abducted on Wednesday night along the Taraku–Otukpo route in Gwer East and Otukpo Local Government Areas. The students, who were heading to their examination centre in Otukpo, had planned to arrive early due to their scheduled exam.

Following their rescue, the governor directed the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services to ensure the victims receive proper medical attention at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital before being reunited with their families.

Governor Alia also commended the efforts of security agencies, including the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for their role in securing the victims’ release. He noted that several successful rescue operations have been carried out across the state in recent times.

Authorities confirmed that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, while the governor urged security operatives to intensify efforts in tackling criminal activities across affected areas, stating, “Our people deserve to live in peace.”

Earlier, the state Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, highlighted that the rescue operation was achieved through coordinated efforts between security agencies and local communities.

Meanwhile, JAMB had initially denied that any UTME candidates were among the abducted victims. However, a relative of one of the students criticised the examination body for issuing the statement without conducting thorough verification.