The Benue State Police Command has confirmed that suspected gunmen kidnapped 15 people along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway.
Sources say that the attack happened on April 15, 2026, at about 8:30 p.m., when Peter Ikwe, a Benue Links driver, told the Divisional Police Officer in Otukpo about it.
The driver was driving a Toyota Hiace bus with the license plate number BGT 224 SA from Makurdi to Otukpo when the vehicle was attacked near the Operation Whirl Stroke barracks. There were 18 passengers on board at the time.
Sources say that the attackers blocked the highway and dragged 15 passengers into the nearby bush, while a few others were able to get away.
The DPO quickly sent patrol and tactical teams to the scene after getting the distress call. At the same time, joint security operatives started searching the bushes nearby for the victims and the kidnappers.
The police command also said that the Anti-Kidnapping Unit is looking into the attack in full.
It promised that more information would be made public as the rescue mission went on.
