Breaking News:Benue Kidnap Victims Regain Freedom as Police Confirm Rescue Operation

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, on Sunday morning confirmed the rescue of the remaining 13 passengers, mostly JAMB candidates, who were kidnapped last Wednesday night while traveling to Otukpo on a Benue Links bus.

CP Emenari disclosed this to our correspondent via a text message, stating that the victims were rescued through a joint effort by security operatives. He added that they would be brought to Makurdi for a press briefing scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
“Yes, to God be the glory, we’re planning a news conference this morning when they arrive in Makurdi. Good morning,” CP Emenari said.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had, on Wednesday at about 8 p.m., intercepted the state-owned Benue Links bus and abducted 15 passengers, including young men and women who were JAMB candidates traveling to Otukpo for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Commissioner of Police had earlier informed journalists on Friday that five of the victims had been rescued, leaving 13 still in captivity at the time.
Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in a statement issued on Saturday, denied that any of its candidates were victims of the abduction.
However, a relative of one of the victims, who spoke to newsmen in Makurdi late Saturday on condition of anonymity, dismissed JAMB’s claim, describing it as “disturbing and dismissive.”
According to him, many of the passengers on the bus were traveling to sit for the UTME.
“My nephew was on that bus, and he was heading to Otukpo for his JAMB examination. In fact, most of the passengers were candidates. Only a few were not going for the exam. That explains why they hurried to travel that evening, as they had exams scheduled early the next morning,” he said.
The management of Benue Links Limited also confirmed the incident, adding that the driver has been taken into police custody.