Benue Links Transit, a transport company owned by the Benue State Government, has confirmed the arrest of its driver whose commercial bus was conveying candidates for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Benue State, following their reported abduction.
Gunmen on Wednesday evening abducted the UTME candidates and other passengers at Benue Burnt Bricks axis, along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The victims were reportedly travelling in a Benue Links bus from Makurdi to Otukpo when the vehicle was attacked on Wednesday night.
Sources said that the bus, which was conveying about 18 passengers, was intercepted near Otukpo around 8 pm by armed men who whisked most of the occupants into the bush.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said the victims were mostly young people heading to Otukpo to sit for the JAMB examination scheduled for Thursday.
However, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online, stated that 14 passengers were abducted while one victim escaped.
On Thursday, Emenari disclosed that he was personally leading rescue efforts in the area.
âI am in Otukpo now with all my team and DPOs who are here in the bush, and I am heading the operation.
âWhat happened was that one Benue Links bus carrying passengers coming to Otukpo was stopped and attacked by hoodlums, and 14 passengers were kidnapped, but one was able to escape,â he said.
The police commissioner added that an investigation had commenced into the circumstances surrounding the journey, noting that the transport company has a policy against night travel.
According to him, the driver allegedly violated this directive by picking up passengers after official hours.
Emenari, who is personally leading the operation on ground in Otukpo, confirmed that tactical teams have been mobilised to track the kidnappers.
The management of Benue Links Transit distanced itself from the incident, confirming that the driver violated standing safety regulations by embarking on the trip outside approved hours.
The companyâs General Manager, Mr. Alexander Fanafa, disclosed that the driver is currently in police custody and undergoing interrogation for breaching a strict policy prohibiting night travel.
âAs we speak, the driver has been arrested and is being questioned for going against company directives,â Fanafa said, according to Channels Television.
âOur policy clearly forbids journeys beyond 6 p.m., and any driver who flouts this rule exposes passengers to danger and will be treated as a suspect.â
He further explained that the driver loaded passengers after the park had officially closed for the day, bypassing internal checks put in place to prevent such risks.
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