Abuja, NIGERIA — Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly condemned the abduction of students travelling to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Benue State, describing the incident as a national crisis.
Okay News gathered that the students were intercepted on Wednesday night, April 15, 2026, while travelling in a Benue Links bus along the Makurdi-Otukpo road. Security officials confirmed that 14 passengers, most of whom were young candidates heading to their examination centers, were whisked into the bush by gunmen. The incident occurred near the Benue Burnt Bricks area in Otukpo at approximately 8:00 p.m.
In a statement released on Friday, April 17, 2026, Obi lamented the growing pattern of insecurity targeting the education sector. He pointed out that Nigeria’s tertiary graduate share remains painfully low at approximately 1%, lagging far behind peers like South Africa and Indonesia. He argued that the abduction of students striving for an education is a “damning indictment” of the current leadership’s inability to secure the nation.
Obi criticized the government for appearing more preoccupied with political posturing for future elections than deploying state agencies to protect innocent citizens. “Those entrusted with protecting these young students appear increasingly preoccupied with the next election, projecting strength and power to rig elections, rather than deploying that same power to secure our roads,” he stated. He emphasized that a nation that fails to protect its youth effectively abandons its future.
While Governor Hyacinth Alia has ordered an immediate rescue operation and the Benue State Police Command has deployed tactical teams to the area, the driver of the vehicle has been detained for violating a state-mandated curfew on night travel. The rescue mission remains ongoing as parents and education stakeholders across the country call for the safe return of the candidates.
