JAMB Disowns Abducted Benue Passengers As Police Arrest 7, Rescue Victims

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said the recently abducted passengers in a Benue Links bus along the Otukpo-Markudi road are not candidates of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as reported in the media.

JAMB, in a statement by its public communications advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin yesterday said the victims were participants in a police recruitment exercise who were apparently returning to their base in Otukpo.

Fabian faulted the speed with which it was reported that the victims were UTME candidates.

“It is regrettable that in moments like this, there is tendency to hastily malign government institutions such as JAMB without proper verification of facts.

“Such premature conclusions appear at times to be driven more by a desire to assign blame than to seek truth. Some individuals even attempted to link the incident to the board’s examination schedule, despite clear inconsistencies in that narrative.

Meanwhile, the police have announced the arrest of seven suspects in connection with the abduction of 13 passengers who were in the bus.

The command also disclosed that some of the victims were rescued in a joint security operation involving the police and sister security agencies.

The commissioner of police in Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, was intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining victims and ensure the full restoration of peace and security in the affected area.

In a statement issued by the Benue State police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet yesterday, the command urged continued cooperation by providing credible and timely information to security agencies.