Benue passengers abducted by local militia

The Presidency has described the kidnapping of passengers along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway in Benue State as an operation carried out by local criminal groups, insisting that recent evidence points to a growing pattern of violence driven from within affected communities rather than external armed networks.

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Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the incident fits into what he called a broader shift in the nature of insecurity in parts of the country. He argued that public commentary often overlooks operational gains by security forces while focusing on isolated incidents of violence.

“Some Nigerians and armchair analysts are often quick to criticise the Federal Government for perceived shortcomings in security,” Mr Onanuga said, adding that such assessments “tend to downplay and discount the heroic exploits of members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”

He said his assessment was informed by daily security updates he receives from journalist Zagazola Makama, whom he described as a counter-insurgency reporter with consistent field reporting from multiple operational theatres.

On the Benue incident, Mr Onanuga stated that the abductors were not external fighters but “local criminal elements in Benue,” stressing that early assumptions linking the attack to wider organised armed groups were not supported by subsequent security clarification.

The abduction occurred on 15 April, when armed men intercepted a Benue Links bus travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo along the Taraku–Otukpo axis. The attackers led the passengers into nearby forested terrain.

Seventeen passengers were on board. Security reports indicate that 14 were taken into the bush while three escaped during the initial attack. Among the abductees were eight young passengers travelling to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

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The incident triggered conflicting public accounts. Families of the victims later challenged initial security statements that suggested the victims were not part of an organised group of examination candidates. Governor Hyacinth Alia subsequently confirmed that at least eight of those abducted were UTME candidates and called for special arrangements to accommodate their situation.

The rescue operation unfolded in stages. On 19 April, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke found 13 of the remaining passengers during a search-and-rescue mission in a forested area in Ohimini Local Government Area. The victims were later taken to the General Hospital in Otukpo for treatment of injuries sustained during the abduction.

However, in a video circulated by a local commentator, two individuals who claimed to have acted as intermediaries for the victims’ families said they delivered ransom for the release of some captives. One of them said he delivered about N500,000 on behalf of a family member, while another said he delivered N800,000. They also alleged that additional payments and items were demanded by the abductors.

“We were under pressure to leave because they were hearing movements of security forces around the area,” one of the intermediaries said in the video account. “They needed to collect whatever we had and let us go.”

The police, however, maintained that the victims were rescued through coordinated operations in Amla Forest and the surrounding areas. Police authorities also said several suspects were arrested, describing the operation as a breakthrough against organised crime in the region.

READ ALSO: Benue Abduction: Governor Alia confirms victims include UTME candidates, police arrest suspects

The different narratives have intensified public debate regarding whether the victims were rescued by force or were released on payment of ransom.

Mr Onanuga’s statement situates the incident within a broader security framework that emphasises localised criminality. He said the evolving pattern of violence in parts of the country is increasingly driven by “non-state actors who operate like guerrillas” within familiar environments, making detection and disruption more complex.

He also argued that sustained military operations across multiple regions have produced significant results, even if such developments receive less public attention than high-profile attacks.

The Benue abduction has, therefore, become part of a broader national discussion on both the nature of insecurity and the transparency of official communication during rescue operations, particularly in cases involving ransom claims, civilian casualties, and disputed operational outcomes.