UTME candidates: Our abductors beat us, forced us to drink dirty water

Rescued kidnap victims, including candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), on Sunday recounted their harrowing experiences of torture, hunger and inhumane treatment during four days in captivity.

The victims were abducted on Wednesday along the Taraku–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State during an attack on a Benue Links vehicle conveying passengers.

They were eventually rescued on Sunday morning by security operatives following sustained pressure mounted on the kidnappers.

Governor Hyacinth Alia, who received the victims at the Government House in Makurdi, confirmed that eight of them were UTME candidates, while the others were regular commuters caught in the attack.

The rescued victims were identified as Augustine Sunday Okechalo, Emmanuel Okechalo, Elaigwu Joshua, Hyacinth Okoh, Wende Paul, Nyikwagh Benjamin Aondokator, Iornav Ngukulan, Gbile Ngutor Daniel, Akor Jessica, Buter Agatha, Ukaha Tersoo John, Orih Raphael Sylvester, Kim Timothy and Simon Friday.

An 18-year-old victim, Gbenda Daniels, who was on his way to sit for the UTME at the time of the incident, said the kidnappers dispossessed him of his N8,000 and subjected them to severe beating while denying them food.

“They collected my N8,000. They beat us, and we didn’t eat anything; we only drank dirty water,” he said.

Another UTME candidate, Ngukulan Iornav, also 18, said they were given only garri and salt throughout their stay in the forest.

“They gave us garri and salt. I was thoroughly beaten,” she said.

Orih Raphael Sylvester, a medical student who had just completed his final examinations at the University of Maiduguri and was returning home to Otukpo before the incident, narrated how the ordeal began.

He said all the passengers boarded the vehicle at the motor park and departed at about 6 pm, arriving at Taraku around 8:26 pm, due to mechanical faults thatslowed the vehicle before the attack occurred.

He said the kidnappers moved them repeatedly from one location to another deep inside the forest to avoid detection.

“We were taken into the bush and moved from one place to another. We didn’t eat anything on the first night because we were constantly on the move.

“On the second day, we survived on muddy water. On the third day, they gave us garri and forced us to start calling our families while beating us,” he recounted.

He further disclosed that on the fourth day, the abductors intensified pressure on the victims to raise ransom, moving them to another part of the forest where they were ordered to urgently contact their relatives as security operatives reportedly closed in on them.

Sylvester said the victims were beaten at random, particularly those whose families could not immediately meet the ransom demands, adding that a glimmer of hope emerged on Saturday evening when they were again asked to press their families for payment.

“We were later brought together in another location, given our phones and instructed to make more calls for our release.

“Early Sunday, around 4am, they eventually gave us directions to follow towards the express road, where we later encountered military personnel. It was a horrible experience. We eventually came out around Okete,” he added.

Another victim, Sunday Augustine, a 100-level accounting student of the Federal University of Lafia, said he was returning from school when the incident occurred.

He said they were severely beaten, leaving him with an injury on his elbow.

Similarly, Akor Jessica described the experience as deeply traumatic, saying they endured extreme torture in the hands of their captors.

“It was a nightmare. What we went through was too much. We were on our way to write our exams. They beat me with big sticks and machetes at will, but God saw us through,” she said.

A relative, Ochadgwuba Alexander, said two of the victims—Emmanuel and Austin—are his cousins, who were among those kidnapped.

He described the experience as traumatic for the entire family.

“It was a nightmare for us. The kidnappers demanded N10 million for each victim,” he said.

He explained that he personally delivered a ransom of N3.4 million in cash, along with supplies valued at about N33,000, including Amstel Malt drinks and Hollandia yoghurt, to the kidnappers in the bush.

“After handing over the ransom, I contacted the military to help convey them from the point they emerged from the bush. I waited for about 40 minutes at Okete village before they were brought out,” Alexander added.

Alia urges JAMB to reschedule exams for 8 victims

Governor Alia on Sunday appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to allow the rescued kidnap victims who missed their examinations to sit for them, following their release from captivity.

Alia made the appeal at a joint press conference at Government House in Makurdi, where the State Police Commissioner, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, handed over the remaining 13 kidnap victims of the Benue Links vehicle.

He added that the victims would undergo medical examination before being reunited with their families, while directing education authorities to make arrangements for them to take their missed exams.

Alia reassured residents of intensified security measures to curb further incidents and urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.

He commended the police commissioner and other security agencies for rescuing the victims.

“Among the victims are eight students who were preparing to write UTME, while the others are regular commuters. We will support their education and ensure such incidents do not recur,” he said.

Earlier, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, who handed over the victims to the governor, told journalists that the rescue was achieved through coordinated security operations.

Enemari said the incident occurred on Wednesday in Otukpo LGA when a Benue Links bus conveying 18 passengers was attacked.

He explained that as of Friday, five victims had been rescued, while 13 remained in captivity until their release on Sunday morning as security operatives intensified efforts and closed in on the abductors.

He said that 18 passengers, including the driver, were on board the bus when the incident happened, noting that three were abandoned and 15 were initially taken hostage.

The police commissioner said that one later escaped, and another was rescued, leaving 13 victims in captivity as of Friday.

“Today, all 18 passengers have regained their freedom, with the remaining 13 rescued in the early hours of this morning (Sunday).

“We already have eight suspects in custody, with sufficient evidence against seven identified as suspected bandits who participated in the attack.

“The victims have identified some of them. We are working closely with military intelligence in this joint operation, particularly with OPWS and the Agro Rangers of the NSCDC,” the CP said.

Kidnap victims not UTME candidates, JAMB insists

Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has maintained that the victims of a recent abduction in Benue State were not UTME candidates.

Fabian Benjamin, JAMB spokesperson, in a statement, said the board’s investigation showed they were participants in a police recruitment exercise who had travelled to Makurdi and were returning to Otukpo when they were abducted.

JAMB maintained that the claims lacked credibility, noting that UTME candidates are usually assigned to different centres and do not travel in groups.