Armed gunmen have abducted several candidates travelling to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination in Benue State, with the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, personally leading the rescue team to secure their release.
The incident occurred along a highway in the state when the candidates were en route to their designated Computer-Based Test centres for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Witnesses said the attackers, suspected to be bandits, blocked the vehicle conveying the students and forced them into nearby bushes at gunpoint.
Confirming the development, the Benue State Police Command said it received a distress call shortly after the abduction and immediately deployed tactical teams to the area. “The Commissioner of Police is currently on the ground coordinating the operation. We are combing the forests and we will not rest until all the candidates are rescued unhurt,” a senior police officer involved in the operation said.
The Command added that the number of abducted candidates is being verified, while operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Police Mobile Force, and local vigilante groups have been mobilised for the search. “This is a direct attack on education and the future of our children. The Command, under the leadership of the Commissioner, is taking this very seriously,” the officer stated.
The Police Commissioner has reportedly vowed that the perpetrators will be tracked down, noting that the Command has heightened patrols along major routes leading to JAMB centres across the state due to the examination period. “We are working with intelligence and community sources. No ransom will be paid and we will ensure the safe return of every student,” the Commissioner said while addressing officers at the scene.
The abduction comes amid heightened insecurity in parts of Benue, where schools and travellers have previously been targeted. In May 2025, gunmen suspected to be armed herdsmen invaded Government Secondary School, Odugbo during WAEC examinations, but were repelled by an 80-man patrol team of the Benue State Civilian Joint Task Force. In July 2025, six Nigerian Law School students were also abducted by suspected bandits along the Wukari-Benue border axis while travelling from Onitsha to the Yola Campus.
Parents and guardians of JAMB candidates have been urged to remain calm and await official updates, while security agencies continue operations in the affected area. The JAMB Registrar has not yet issued a statement on the incident.
