The Benue State Police Command and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have moved to dispel widespread reports that passengers abducted along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road were candidates travelling to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The clarification followed intense speculation on traditional and social media that the victims were UTME candidates caught in transit to examination centres. Both institutions said the narrative was inaccurate and had fuelled unnecessary outrage against JAMB.

Police spokesperson DSP Edet Udeme explained that preliminary investigations showed the abducted passengers were travelling in a commercial bus heading to Makurdi, not in any organised convoy of UTME candidates.

“The command states that this claim is incorrect, as the victims were not confirmed to be part of any organised UTME-bound student convoy, but passengers in a Makurdi-bound bus,” Udeme said, urging the public to rely on verified information from security agencies.

JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin provided further detail, stating that the victims were participants in an ongoing police recruitment exercise who were returning to Otukpo when they were seized.

Benjamin said the misreporting had unfairly dragged the examination body into a security incident with which it had no connection, exposing it to “unwarranted public criticism” based on assumptions rather than facts.

He criticised what he described as a recurring tendency to hastily blame public institutions in moments of crisis, arguing that some commentators had even tried to link the abduction to JAMB’s examination timetable despite clear inconsistencies.

Benjamin also pointed out that the structure of the UTME made the initial claims implausible, noting that candidates who know one another are rarely assigned to the same centre or required to travel in groups.

He stressed, however, that the true identity of the victims did not lessen the gravity of the crime. “Regardless of their identity or purpose of travel, no Nigerian deserves to be subjected to kidnapping,” he said, calling for empathy for the victims and support for security efforts.

Benjamin urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing it and to avoid narratives that undermine public institutions without evidence, adding that JAMB remained focused on improving its operations and would not be distracted by unfounded allegations.

On the security response, the Benue police command confirmed that seven suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction following a joint operation in Amla Forest and surrounding communities.

Udeme said some victims had been rescued and were receiving medical attention, though she declined to disclose their number. Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari assured residents that search-and-rescue efforts were continuing and appealed for credible information to help track the remaining captives and their abductors.