The management of Benue Links Nigeria Limited has confirmed the arrest of its driver following the abduction of passengers, mostly candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The incident occurred during a night journey from Makurdi to Otukpo.
The company disclosed that the driver violated standing operational rules by embarking on the trip without authorization.
He said the move exposed passengers to danger amid worsening insecurity along the route.
The incident was said to have occurred late Wednesday night at Ikobi area in Otukpo Local Government Area.
In a statement, the firm’s Information Officer, Ehi Daniel, said the vehicle, an 18-seater bus, was conveying passengers believed to be largely JAMB candidates when it came under attack by suspected armed assailants.
“During the incident, the driver and a few passengers managed to escape, while 15 passengers were abducted,” the statement said.
The company added that two of the victims later regained freedom, leaving 13 passengers still unaccounted for.
Management distanced itself from the trip, stressing that it was carried out in defiance of clear directives.
“There is a standing directive prohibiting all company vehicles from undertaking journeys beyond 6pm due to prevailing security challenges,” the statement noted.
It further revealed that the driver removed the vehicle from the premises without approval, picked up passengers, and commenced the journey without documentation or clearance.
“As a result of this breach, the trip was not officially recorded, and the company currently lacks comprehensive details of the passengers,” it added.
The General Manager, Comrade Alexander Fanafa, expressed sympathy with the families of the victims, describing the development as distressing.
He assured that the company was collaborating with security agencies to facilitate the safe rescue of those still in captivity.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command confirmed that the driver is in custody and that operations are ongoing to track the abductors and rescue the victims.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, said tactical teams had been deployed to intensify search efforts.
“The Police are on top of the situation. The Command has deployed Tactical Teams, including the Anti-kidnapping unit, the command management team, and other sister agencies to track and rescue the remaining passengers,” she said.