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MAKURDI, BENUE STATE — By Prime Brief Media

The Benue State Police Command has announced a significant operational breakthrough in the investigation and response to the April 15 abduction of passengers along the Otukpo corridor, confirming the rescue of several victims and the arrest of seven suspects.

In an official statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Udeme Edet, the Command revealed that a coordinated joint security operation involving the Nigeria Police Force and other sister agencies remains active within the Amla Forest and its surrounding areas. The targeted search-and-rescue mission, according to the statement, has already yielded positive results with an unspecified number of victims freed from captivity.

"The victims are currently receiving medical attention," DSP Edet stated, without disclosing the exact number of those rescued or the precise circumstances of their release for operational security reasons. The seven arrested suspects are currently in police custody undergoing interrogation as investigators work to unravel the full extent of the criminal network behind the ambush.

Significantly, the Police Command used the statement to correct earlier narratives that had dominated public discourse. Authorities categorically dismissed reports circulating in both mainstream and social media suggesting that the victims were candidates travelling for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. "Police clarified that the victims were passengers travelling in a Makurdi-bound commercial bus and had no connection to any organised examination convoy," the statement read.

This clarification from the police directly contradicts an earlier statement issued by the management of Benue Links Nigeria Limited, which had confirmed that "most" of the passengers were JAMB candidates. Prime Brief Media is working to independently verify the status of the passengers and reconcile the conflicting accounts from the transport company and the police.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police for Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, assured residents and the families of the remaining abductees that security agencies are intensifying efforts to secure the release of all victims and restore calm in the affected communities. The Commissioner appealed to members of the public to support ongoing operations by volunteering credible and timely information through official police channels or at the nearest police station.

"The Command reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across Benue State, stressing that operations will continue until all victims are rescued and perpetrators brought to justice," the statement concluded.

Prime Brief Media continues to monitor the security situation in Otukpo and the broader Benue South senatorial district. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available regarding the condition of rescued victims and the identities of the seven suspects in custody.