Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued 13 passengers abducted from a Benue Links commercial bus along the Makurdi–Otukpo road on Wednesday.

The victims were found in the early hours of Sunday during a search-and-rescue operation in a forest in Okete Ward, Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

Some of the passengers were initially reported to be students travelling for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

Three of the 17 passengers earlier kidnapped had escaped and reunited with their families, while efforts are ongoing to secure the release of others still in captivity, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.

The rescued victims were taken to the General Hospital in Otukpo, where they are receiving treatment for injuries sustained during their ordeal.

Reports had indicated that eight of the abducted passengers were candidates preparing for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, examination.

However, the Benue State Police Command and JAMB have dismissed the claim.

The command’s spokesperson, Udeme Edet, said reports describing the victims as UTME candidates were misinformation and incorrect.

Similarly, JAMB’s Public Communications Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, said those involved were travelling to Makurdi for an ongoing police recruitment exercise and were returning to Otukpo at the time of the incident.