Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reschedule exams for eight candidates of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) who were abducted in the state.
The victims were part of a group of passengers kidnapped last Wednesday along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway. They were later freed during a security operation carried out in a forest located in Okere ward, Ohimini Local Government Area.
Addressing journalists at the Government House in Makurdi on Sunday, Alia disclosed that 15 individuals were initially taken by the attackers.
He explained that two victims managed to escape earlier, while the remaining 13 were eventually rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army with assistance from local residents.
“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,” the governor said.
“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.”
Earlier, authorities had challenged reports claiming the abducted passengers were UTME candidates.
The Benue State Police Command, through its spokesperson Udeme Edet, described such reports as “misinformation and incorrect”.
In the same vein, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin clarified that the travellers were returning from a police recruitment exercise in Makurdi when the incident occurred, not heading for the UTME.
Gov Alia urges JAMB to reschedule exams for abducted UTME candidates
Gov Alia urges JAMB to reschedule exams for abducted UTME candidates
