Following the rescue of the kidnapped passengers in Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reschedule the examinations for the students who missed them due to the incident, pledging that the state government will shoulder all associated costs.
Thirteen passengers, including 8 students, were abducted by kidnappers in Benue State while on their way to Otukpo in Otukpo LGA to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, had earlier handed over the rescued persons to the State Governor, at Government house, Makurdi on Sunday.
He explained that his men and others police officers from the Intelligence Team of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, who were deployed to the state, had mounted pressure on the bandits, a development which largely led to the rescue of the victims.
He observed that other sister security agencies as well as the support from the state government also contributed to the rescue of the victims.
On the circumstances that led to the rescue, Emenari stated that security personnel had widened their scope of operation, leading to the success recorded in the operation.
Speaking, Governor Alia, who commended the police and other sister agencies for their determination in the rescue of the victims, noted that the surroundings between Taraku, in Gwer-West LGA, and Otukpo have been a frontline for kidnappers.
He said: “We cannot accommodate anything that trouble our peace. I call on the police to comb thoroughly all the forest areas and ensure that all accomplices are flushed out.
“I appreciate the IGP who deployed his tactical team to achieve this result. I also sympathize with the people of Gwer-West, where there was an attack. I call on the police to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.
“I also call on the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), to reschedule the exams for these eight students and government will take full responsibility for them”.
The abducted persons who narrated their ordeal in the hand of their abductors, explained that they were beaten with sticks and cutlasses.
They also stated that they were fed with unripe mangoes and had to drink water that was not fit for human consumption to satisfy their thirst.
Their captors kept moving them from one point to another in order to evade security personnel, a development which left them physically and emotionally drained, they added