Alia Urges JAMB to Reschedule UTME for Abducted Benue Candidates

Alia Urges JAMB to Reschedule UTME for Abducted Benue Candidates

Governor Hyacinth Alia has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to make special arrangements for eight students affected by last week’s abduction along the Makurdi–Otukpo road.

The governor made the appeal on Sunday at the Government House in Makurdi, shortly after security operatives confirmed the rescue of all remaining victims taken during the attack.

Gunmen had intercepted a commercial bus midweek, abducting passengers travelling through the route. While some victims escaped in the days that followed, the rest were freed in a coordinated operation by security forces with support from local communities.

Alia said the incident involved 15 abducted persons, noting that two managed to regain freedom earlier before the final rescue operation.

“Today, all the remaining victims have been rescued by security agents with the cooperation of the communities,” he said, adding that several of those on the bus were young people heading towards Otukpo.

He urged the examination body to consider the circumstances of the affected candidates. “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 said.

The appeal comes amid conflicting accounts over the status of the passengers. The Benue State Police Command had earlier dismissed claims that those abducted were candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, describing such reports as inaccurate.

Similarly, JAMB stated that the travellers were not registered candidates for the examination, explaining that they were returning from a police recruitment exercise in Makurdi at the time of the incident.

Despite the differing positions, the governor maintained that the affected individuals deserved consideration, given the disruption caused by the attack.

The incident has once again drawn attention to security concerns along the Makurdi–Otukpo corridor, even as authorities continue efforts to prevent further attacks on commuters.