Just in: Police confirm rescue of 13 kidnap victims in Benue

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, on Sunday morning, confirmed the rescue of the remaining 13 passengers who were attacked and kidnapped last Wednesday night while traveling to Otukpo in Benue links bus.

CP  Emenari, who disclosed this to our correspondent via  a text message, said that the remaining victims were rescued through a combined security operatives and  will be brought to Makurdi anytime from now for press interaction by 11am today ( Sunday).

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‎”Yes, To God Be The  Glory, we’re planning a news conference this morning when they arrive in Makurdi. Good morning please,” CP Emenari said in a terse message to our correspondent.

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Recalled that ‎gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had on Wednesday at about  8pm waylaid the state owned transport Bus, Benue Links and Kidnapped 15 of the passengers among them young men and women who were JAMB candidates and were traveling to Otukpo for the ongoing ‎Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination .

The CP had on Friday told journalists in his office that five of the victims had been rescued leaving 13 kidnappers in the danger zone.

Though, the authority of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board had in a statement issued on Saturday denied any of its candidates victims of Fulani abduction.

But a relative who spoke to newsmen in Makurdi late Saturday had dismissed the JAMB statement.

A relative of one of the victims who spoke on condition of anonymity, said JAMB’s statement was “disturbing and dismissive”.

According to him, a large number of passengers on the bus were travelling to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (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, they had exams scheduled for early the next day”, he said.

The Management of the Benue links limited equally confirmed the incident, saying the driver had been taken into police custody.