Rescued victims of the Benue Links abduction, including UTME candidates, have shared harrowing accounts of their four-day captivity, marked by torture, starvation, and inhumane treatment. The abduction occurred on Wednesday along the Taraku–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, where a group of passengers, including students traveling for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, were seized by armed kidnappers. They were freed on Sunday after security forces intensified operations, forcing the abductors to release them. Governor Hyacinth Alia received the survivors at the Government House in Makurdi, confirming that eight of the rescued were UTME candidates, while others were regular commuters.
One of the victims, 18-year-old Gbenda Daniels, described how the kidnappers stripped him of ₦8,000 and subjected the group to brutal beatings. He recounted that they were denied food and forced to drink dirty water during their ordeal. Another student, Ngukulan Iornav, also a UTME candidate, said they were fed only garri and salt, and she was severely beaten. Orih Raphael Sylvester, a medical student from the University of Maiduguri, revealed that the captors moved the group repeatedly through the forest to evade detection. He stated that they had nothing to eat on the first night and survived on muddy water the next day.
On the third day, Sylvester said the kidnappers gave them garri and forced them to call their families while beating them. The pressure for ransom intensified on the fourth day, but as security forces closed in, the abductors directed the victims toward safety. “Early Sunday, around 4 am, they gave us directions to follow towards the express road, where we encountered military personnel,” he said, describing the experience as “horrible.” Sunday Augustine, a student of the Federal University of Lafia, reported sustaining injuries during the ordeal. Akor Jessica, another victim, called the experience a “nightmare,” saying she was beaten with sticks and machetes but credited God for their survival.
According to Daily Trust, a relative of two victims, Ochadgwuba Alexander, disclosed that the kidnappers demanded ₦10 million per victim. He confirmed that he personally delivered ₦3.4 million in cash, along with supplies, to the abductors in the bush. He later contacted military authorities to assist in the safe return of the victims. The incident has sparked renewed concerns over insecurity along major roads in Benue State, especially for students and travelers. The release of the victims underscores the ongoing efforts by security agencies to combat kidnapping, but also highlights the persistent threat faced by civilians in the region. As the state government and security forces continue to investigate, the survivors are recovering physically and emotionally, with hopes that such incidents will be prevented in the future.
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