Troops rescue 13 abducted Benue bus passengers, including UTME candidates
Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued 13 passengers of a Benue Links commercial bus who were kidnapped along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road on April 15, 2026.
The development was contained in an operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
According to the report, the victims were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation in the early hours of Sunday in a forest in Okete Ward, Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.
The passengers had been abducted after gunmen attacked the bus, robbed occupants, and whisked several of them into the bush.
Those rescued include Hycent Oko (56), Elaiguli Joshua (25), Orili Raphael (29), Sunday Augustine (18), Emmanuel Elaicha (21), Gbile Nguyor Daniel (18), Ukacha Tersoo (18), and Nyikwagh Aoridakator (22).
Others are Iornav Ngukuhan (18), Nyikwagh Benjamin (18), Buker Agatha (19), Paul Wende (29), and Akor Jessica (19).
The victims were immediately evacuated to the General Hospital, Otukpo, where they are receiving treatment for injuries sustained while in captivity.
It was also disclosed that eight of the abducted passengers were candidates preparing to sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Otukpo.
