Gunmen Attack Benue Links Bus, Abduct Passengers Along Otukpo-Otukpa Road

 

Fear and confusion enveloped Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday evening following a violent ambush on a Benue Links commercial bus by armed assailants who reportedly robbed and abducted multiple passengers into a nearby forest.

The attack occurred around 6:30 p.m. in Eke community, located along the Otukpo-Otukpa expressway, a route frequently used by commuters and commercial transport vehicles. The bus, which bore the registration number 14B-143BN, was on a routine journey when the gunmen emerged from hiding and launched the assault.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the attackers laid in wait, intercepting the bus mid-route. Passengers were forcefully stripped of their personal belongings before being marched at gunpoint into the surrounding bush, sparking widespread panic in the area.

Shortly after the incident, Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Austin Agada, who was reportedly driving along the same road, encountered the aftermath of the attack. Reacting swiftly, he alerted security forces, prompting the deployment of both military and police units to the scene.

Search-and-rescue operations were said to have commenced immediately, though details about the number of abductees and their current status remain unclear at the time of this report.

The latest incident adds to the growing list of security breaches in Benue State, which has become a hotspot for criminal activities ranging from communal clashes to banditry and kidnappings.

In response to the deteriorating security conditions, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seek international intervention. In a letter dated June 21, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the rights group urged the Federal Government to refer the situation in Benue State to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for immediate investigation and potential prosecution of those responsible for widespread violence and human rights abuses.

SERAP argued that the repeated attacks, mass killings, and forced displacements in Benue and other parts of Nigeria constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws.

“The escalating crisis in Benue State and similar incidents nationwide require urgent international attention. The ICC must be engaged to investigate these atrocities and hold perpetrators accountable,” the group said.

 

As rescue efforts continue and families await news of their loved ones, tension remains high across communities in the region, further highlighting the urgent need for robust security reforms and decisive government action.