In an interview with Weekend Trust, one of the escapees of the attack that occurred Wednesday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m involving UTME candidates in Benue State has detailed how they were captured by armed men suspected to be terrorists along the Makurdi–Otukpo road. The incident, which involved a Benue Links commercial bus traveling from Makurdi to Otukpo, was reportedly conveying 16 passengers, largely youths, heading for the examination organised by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB). Narrating how the incident happened and his eventual escape after hours in captivity, an escapee, identified simply as Francis, explained that the ambush occurred shortly after they passed Taraku village, near a sharp bend around Ikobi.

“Immediately we passed Taraku, at that sharp bend, the attackers, numbering about five and armed with AK-47 rifles and machetes, blocked the road and forced all passengers out of the vehicle. Birth attendants: Inside women’s struggle between affordability and survival School resumption: Fuel price hike pushes parents to tough choices “Immediately we got to the area, we saw about five armed men on the road. They were carrying guns and long knives.

They started beating us and ordered us into the bush at gunpoint,” he said. He also recounted how the driver disappeared at the beginning of the attack, adding that the victims were marched deep into the forest and stripped of their belongings. “They asked for the driver, but none of us knew where he went.

They kept beating us and collected everything from us. They took my N21,000 and my phone. When my phone rang after I denied having one, one of them – tall and called ‘Dogo’, slapped me and seized it,” he recounted.

He said that while some victims identified themselves as UTME candidates, others, including himself, were returning from a police recruitment screening exercise in Makurdi. He noted that the attackers continued to beat and interrogate them while moving deeper into the bush, saying he kept praying for freedom and remained hopeful throughout the horror hours. “I kept praying in my heart, asking God to save me.

Even when others were too weak to pray, I continued,” he said. Speaking on how he got freedom from the gun-wielding kidnappers, he said he eventually escaped when the kidnappers moved without torchlights near a settlement. “When I noticed it was dark and they were not using torchlights, I hid behind leaves and allowed them to move away.

After that, I ran without knowing where I was going,” he explained. He recounted that he ran through the night – from about 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. before reaching Otukpo Nobi, where he encountered early morning commuters. Francis, however, noted that he remains deeply concerned about those still in captivity because it was a night of horror.

“As we speak, others are still in the bush with them. I didn’t think I would survive. At some point, I felt we were all going to die because nobody even knew we had been kidnapped.” Relatives raise fears, seek govt intervention Among those affected are two teenage brothers whose relatives have taken to social media to express anguish over their disappearance.

A family member, identified on Facebook as Sesuur Joyce, described the emotional toll of the uncertainty surrounding their fate. “My heart is breaking. My two brothers are still missing.

The pain of not knowing if they’re okay is unbearable. “They were kidnapped on their way to Otukpo to write their JAMB. Please friends, be with the family in prayers.

God please help us and bring them back to us safely in Jesus name,” she wrote. Another relative, Ushahemba Ephraim, also appealed for prayers, identifying the missing boys. “Please pray for my brothers, prince Aondokator and prince Mnyimanga.

They were kidnapped on their way to Otukpo to write their JAMB,” he said on Facebook. Benue Links disowns driver Meanwhile, the management of Benue Links Nigeria Limited has distanced itself from the night trip undertaken by its driver. The management, in a statement by the company’s Information Officer, Johnson Ehi Daniel, on Friday confirming the attack, described the driver’s actions as unauthorised and in violation of the company’s operational guidelines.

Daniel noted that the driver and a few passengers escaped during the attack while 15 passengers were initially abducted. He said that two of the victims later regained their freedom, now leaving 13 passengers unaccounted for. “The driver removed the vehicle from the company’s premises, picked up passengers and embarked on the journey without due documentation or clearance,” the statement said.

Police launch manhunt Giving an update about the incident on Friday, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ifeanyi Emenari, said the driver of the vehicle has been arrested. He disclosed that security forces had made progress rescuing five victims, while 13 are still in captivity. “We are on top of the situation. I was in Otukpo yesterday (Thursday) to c