UTME 2026: Gov Alia Seeks Exam Reschedule for Alleged Kidnapped Candidates

UTME 2026: Gov Alia Seeks Exam Reschedule for Alleged Kidnapped Candidates

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to reschedule the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for eight candidates allegedly affected by a kidnapping incident along the Makurdi–Otukpo road.

The governor made the appeal on Sunday at the Government House in Makurdi shortly after confirming that all abducted victims had been rescued by security operatives.

He said the request was necessary to ensure that the affected candidates are not deprived of their opportunity to sit for the UTME 2026 examination, especially given the traumatic circumstances surrounding the incident.

Governor Alia explained that the victims were kidnapped last Wednesday while travelling along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway in Benue State. According to him, a total of 15 persons were abducted, while two of the victims escaped shortly after the attack. The remaining 13 were later rescued during a coordinated operation by the Nigerian Army, with support from local communities.

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The rescue reportedly took place in a forest area at Okere ward in Ohimini Local Government Area of the state.

He said, “Many of the students were travelling to Otukpo. Seven were regular passengers, and 15 were kidnapped that fateful day. One of the victims escaped, and another escaped the following day. Today, all the remaining 13 kidnap victims were rescued by the security agents with the cooperation of the communities.”

Following the rescue, Governor Alia urged JAMB to make special arrangements for the eight individuals he described as young students preparing for the UTME, asking that they be given another opportunity to sit for the examination.

“I call on JAMB to look into the case of the eight young students and reschedule dates for them to write their examination,” he said.

However, the incident has generated conflicting accounts regarding the identity of the victims. The Benue State Police Command, through its spokesperson Udeme Edet, earlier stated that the abducted passengers were not UTME candidates, describing such reports as misinformation.

Similarly, JAMB’s Public Communications Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, clarified that the victims were actually travelling to participate in a police recruitment exercise in Makurdi and were returning to Otukpo at the time of the incident.

The conflicting statements have created uncertainty over whether the affected individuals were indeed UTME candidates, with authorities expected to carry out further verification before any decision is taken on a possible exam rescheduling request.

The incident has also renewed concerns over security along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway, a route that has witnessed repeated cases of kidnapping in recent years. Security agencies say efforts are ongoing to strengthen surveillance and prevent further attacks in the area.

UTME 2026: Gov Alia Seeks Exam Reschedule for Alleged Kidnapped Candidates