Eight students who were among 15 people kidnapped on the Makurdi–Otukpo road last Wednesday have missed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) due to the abduction. They were travelling in a bus when armed men attacked and took them into a forest in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State. The Nigerian Army rescued the remaining victims, including the students and other passengers, on Sunday. Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed that two of the 15 had escaped earlier, and praised security forces for working with local communities to secure the safe release of the others. He has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reschedule the UTME for the eight students affected. However, police and JAMB have stated the victims were not UTME candidates but were travelling for a police recruitment exercise and returning to Otukpo at the time of the attack. Despite the conflicting accounts, Governor Alia insists the students should be given a fresh opportunity to sit for the examination.
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