Benue Kidnap Rescue: Calls Grow for JAMB to Reschedule UTME for Affected Students
Child protection concerns deepen as affected students face trauma and disrupted education
The rescue of all abducted passengers along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State has brought relief to families, while raising fresh concerns about the safety and educational continuity of young people caught in the incident.
Among the rescued were at least eight candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), whose journey to sit for the exam was interrupted when gunmen attacked their vehicle last Wednesday night.
Following their release, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to reschedule the examination for the affected students. He described them as individuals who should not be disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control.
The governor made the appeal while receiving the 13 recently rescued persons in Makurdi, confirming that all those abducted from the Benue Links bus have now regained freedom through coordinated security operations supported by local communities.
The passengers, including students travelling to Otukpo for the examination, were initially intercepted and taken away by armed men. While some managed to escape earlier, the remaining group was freed in a joint rescue effort by security agencies.
From a child safeguarding standpoint, the incident highlights ongoing risks faced by young people in accessing education, particularly when travel is involved. The disruption not only exposed the affected students to danger but also placed their academic progress at risk.
Experts note that beyond missing scheduled exams, such experiences can carry psychological effects, including anxiety and difficulty returning to normal academic activities. This makes timely intervention, including exam rescheduling and access to support services, essential.
The situation has also drawn attention to the need for better coordination between education authorities and security agencies, especially during nationwide examinations that require student movement across locations.
While the successful rescue has been widely acknowledged, stakeholders say stronger preventive measures are needed to ensure that students can pursue education without exposure to harm.
