Armed gunmen intercepted a passenger bus along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Benue State (a central Nigerian state), abducting 14 passengers between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Many of those on board were students travelling to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (JAMB), Nigeria's university entrance exam, including two teenage brothers whose family member raised the alarm on social media. State Police Commissioner Ifeanyi Emenari confirmed that security forces were actively pursuing the abductors into surrounding bush, though no contact had yet been made with the kidnappers, deepening fears for the victims' safety.