Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued 14 kidnapped travellers, including eight candidates registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, from a forest in Benue State following a joint security operation.
The rescue was carried out by operatives of Joint Task Force Sector One, Operation Udo Ka, acting on intelligence from residents about suspicious movements linked to a kidnap cell operating in Orokam Forest, situated between Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State and Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Troops deployed in Udenu advanced into the forest at approximately 1.30 p.m. on Friday, joined by local vigilante personnel. Armed kidnappers opened fire on the approaching team, but operatives responded swiftly, forcing the criminals to abandon their captives and scatter into the bush. The team withdrew at approximately 7.21 p.m., having expended about 70 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition. No troop casualties were recorded.
The victims, men and women who had been travelling along the Makurdi Otukpo road when they were abducted last Wednesday, were found unharmed. All 14 rescued persons were subsequently handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in Udenu for documentation and reunification with their families.
In a separate development, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed that 15 persons were initially kidnapped during the incident, with two managing to escape before the rescue operation. Addressing journalists at Government House in Makurdi on Sunday, Alia appealed to JAMB to make provision for the eight affected students to sit their examinations on a new date.
“I call on JAMB to look into the case of the eight young students and reschedule dates for them to write their examination,” the governor urged.
Authorities remained divided over the identity of the victims, with JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin maintaining that the travellers had been returning from a police recruitment exercise in Makurdi, and the Benue State Police Command dismissing claims about UTME candidates as incorrect.
Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Ola Funmilayo
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