What began as an ordinary journey along the quiet stretch of the Taraku–Otukpo road in Benue State quickly spiraled into a nightmare – one that would leave its victims scarred, shaken, but ultimately alive.
On a Wednesday evening, a Benue Links bus carrying 18 passengers was ambushed by armed men. Within moments, chaos replaced calm. Some passengers managed to escape in the confusion, but 13 were dragged into the surrounding forest – vanishing into four days of fear, hunger, and brutality.
Among them, according to Governor Hyacinth Alia, were eight young individuals preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Others were simply travelers, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But even this detail would later become a point of dispute.
For the captives, time moved differently in the forest—measured not in hours, but in suffering.
Eighteen-year-old Gbenga Daniels recalled how his ₦8,000 was taken before he was beaten and left with nothing but thirst. “We didn’t eat. We only drank dirty water,” he said.
Another teenager, Ngukulan Iornav, described a grim routine of survival: garri mixed with salt, served alongside violence.
A medical student, Orih Raphael Sylvester, painted an even bleaker picture. Their ordeal began around 8:26 p.m., after their journey had already been delayed by mechanical faults.
From there, the kidnappers forced them deeper into the bush, constantly on the move to evade security forces.
The first night passed without food. The second brought only muddy water. By the third day, the kidnappers escalated their tactics – forcing victims to call their families while beating them, demanding ransom with every blow.
By the fourth day, desperation peaked. Phones were returned, not as a gesture of mercy, but as tools of pressure. The victims were ordered to beg for their freedom.
Then, just before dawn on Sunday, came an unexpected turn. Around 4 a.m., the captors gave them directions toward the express road and disappeared. The survivors stumbled their way out of the forest – eventually encountering military personnel who brought their ordeal to an end.
Freedom, however, came with a heavy price.
For some families, the cost was financial as well as emotional. Ochadgwuba Alexander, a relative of two victims, revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦10 million per person. After tense negotiations, he paid ₦3.4 million in cash, along with supplies, to secure their release.
“It was a nightmare,” he said. “We just wanted them back alive.”
Rescue and Recovery
The victims were received in Makurdi by Governor Alia, who assured them of medical care and support, particularly for those said to have missed their UTME examinations due to the incident.
Meanwhile, security forces reported significant progress. According to police authorities, a coordinated operation involving multiple agencies led to the safe recovery of all passengers. Eight suspects have been arrested, with seven identified as alleged participants in the attack.
Just as the story seemed to settle, a new layer of confusion emerged.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), through its spokesperson Fabian Benjamin, disputed the claim that the victims were UTME candidates. Instead, the board stated that the individuals were returning from a police recruitment exercise—not traveling for an examination.
JAMB also questioned the credibility of the earlier narrative, noting that UTME candidates are typically assigned to different centers and do not travel in groups.
Between Truth and Trauma
As conflicting accounts continue to surface, one fact remains undeniable: 13 people endured four days of terror in the forests of Benue.
Whether students or job seekers, their experience tells a deeper story – one of insecurity, resilience, and the fragile line between routine travel and tragedy.
And for those who survived, the memory of those four days will linger far longer than any clarification or correction.
