By Dennis Okechukwu
Rescued victims of the recent kidnapping attack along the Taraku–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State have narrated the horrific treatment they endured in captivity, including beatings, starvation, and being forced to drink dirty water.
The victims, who were abducted on Wednesday after gunmen attacked a Benue Links vehicle, were rescued on Sunday morning following coordinated operations by security agencies.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, who received the freed victims at the Government House in Makurdi, confirmed that eight of them were candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while others were ordinary commuters.
Eighteen-year-old Gbenda Daniels, one of the rescued victims, said the kidnappers took his ₦8,000 and subjected them to constant beatings while denying them food.
“They collected my ₦8,000. They beat us, and we didn’t eat anything; we only drank dirty water,” he said.
Another UTME candidate, Ngukulan Iornav, also 18, said they survived mainly on garri and salt during their time in captivity.
“They gave us garri and salt. I was thoroughly beaten,” she said.
A medical student, Orih Raphael Sylvester, narrated how the abductors moved them from one forest location to another to avoid detection, adding that they were starved and tortured throughout the ordeal.
He said the victims were later forced to contact their families under duress as ransom demands intensified.
Another victim, Sunday Augustine, a student of the Federal University of Lafia, said he sustained injuries after being beaten with sticks and machetes.
Other survivors also described the experience as traumatic, saying they were repeatedly tortured while the kidnappers pressured their families for ransom.
A relative of two of the victims, Ochadgwuba Alexander, said the abductors initially demanded ₦10 million per victim. He explained that he personally delivered ₦3.4 million and supplies before the victims were finally released.
Governor Alia has urged JAMB to allow the eight UTME candidates to retake their examinations, noting that they missed the test due to the incident. He also assured that the state government would support their recovery and education.
Meanwhile, the State Police Commissioner, CP Ifeanyi Enemari, said the rescue operation was successful after sustained pressure on the abductors, adding that several suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack.
However, JAMB has maintained that the abducted individuals were not UTME candidates, but participants in a police recruitment exercise who were returning from Makurdi to Otukpo when they were kidnapped.
Kidnapped JAMB candidates recount harrowing ordeal at the hands of abductors