The Benue State Police Command has rescued 13 more passengers who were kidnapped while travelling from Enugu to Abuja along the Otukpo-Adoka Road on August 14, 2026. The victims were rescued at about 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, following five days of sustained search and rescue operations by police operatives in collaboration with local security personnel.
According to the Command, the victims were located at Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo Local Government Area following credible intelligence that led security operatives to launch a night operation. The operatives encountered the kidnappers and their victims in the forest, but the suspects fled under the cover of darkness, leaving the victims behind. All 13 victims were rescued unhurt.
The latest operation came after an earlier rescue of five passengers abducted in the same incident. The Police Command said that while an initial passenger manifest suggested that nine victims remained in captivity, subsequent verification revealed that four additional passengers had not been recorded on the manifest, bringing the number rescued during the latest operation to 13.
The Command also disclosed that its operatives had engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle on August 16 at about 6:00 p.m. during the ongoing search operation. One of the suspected kidnappers was neutralised during the encounter, while an AK-47 rifle and five rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the scene.
Following their rescue, the victims were taken to a medical facility for medical attention before being transported to their respective destinations in a chartered bus. The Police Command said it has intensified efforts to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects through sustained intelligence-led operations.
The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus C. Nwadiogbu, commended the personnel involved in the operation for their courage, resilience and commitment, which he said contributed to the safe recovery of the victims. He assured residents that the Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, would continue operations aimed at protecting lives and property and dismantling criminal networks across the state.
The Command also called on residents, particularly those in communities around the affected areas, to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist security agencies in apprehending the fleeing suspects. The Police further advised transport operators to maintain accurate and complete passenger manifests for every trip, stressing that proper documentation is critical to the timely identification, verification and rescue of passengers during emergencies. The rescue marks a major breakthrough in efforts to locate all passengers abducted along the Otukpo-Adoka axis, while security operatives continue the hunt for members of the kidnapping gang still at large.
