KEY POINTS

• Troops rescued 13 kidnapped passengers from a forest in Ohimini LGA on Sunday after four days in captivity.
• Eight of those abducted were UTME candidates traveling to sit the 2026 examination in Otukpo.
• Seven suspects linked to the attack have been arrested following a joint security operation.

Nigerian Army troops have rescued the remaining 13 passengers abducted from a Benue Links commercial bus on the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, ending a four-day ordeal that saw eight students on their way to write the 2026 UTME held captive in a forest.

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke carried out the search-and-rescue operation in the early hours of Sunday, recovering the victims from a forest in Okete Ward, Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State. An operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria confirmed the development.

The 13 survivors are Hycent Oko, 56; Elaiguli Joshua, 25; Orili Raphael, 29; Sunday Augustine, 18; Emmanuel Elaicha, 21; Gbile Nguyor Daniel, 18; Ukacha Tersoo, 18; Nyikwagh Aoridakator, 22; Iornav Ngukuhan, 18; Nyikwagh Benjamin, 18; Buker Agatha, 19; Paul Wende, 29; and Akor Jessica, 19.

All 13 were evacuated to the General Hospital in Otukpo, where they are receiving medical attention for injuries sustained in captivity.

How the abduction unfolded

Gunmen attacked the Benue Links bus on Wednesday, April 15, along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road, robbing passengers before dragging several of them into the bush.

Five of the victims had earlier secured their freedom, while 13 remained in the kidnappers’ custody as of Friday when the Benue State Police Command gave an update.

Eight of the abducted passengers were UTME candidates traveling to Otukpo to sit the 2026 examination, adding a particular urgency to the rescue operation and drawing national attention to the attack.

Seven suspects arrested

The Benue State Police Command announced the arrest of seven suspects linked to the abduction, describing the breakthrough as the result of a coordinated security operation involving multiple agencies.

Police spokesperson Udeme Edet called the arrests a “significant breakthrough” in efforts to dismantle the kidnapping network behind the attack.

The Makurdi-Otukpo corridor has increasingly become a target for armed groups operating in central Nigeria, with kidnapping for ransom becoming a recurring threat along roads that communities and students depend on for movement between towns.