Terror on Benue Road: Armed Herdsmen Abduct Passengers of Fully Loaded Bus in Okpokwu

Panic gripped residents of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State on Monday, June 24, 2025, as suspected armed herdsmen reportedly abducted all passengers on board a fully loaded commercial bus along the Eke-Akpa-Ugbokolo road. The daring daylight attack has sparked renewed fears over the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers, armed with sophisticated rifles and machetes, blocked the highway around 2:30 p.m., forcing the commercial bus to a halt before whisking the occupants into the nearby forest. The bus, believed to be headed to Makurdi from Otukpa, was carrying over 18 passengers when it was ambushed near the Eke junction, a known blackspot for criminal activities.

Local vigilante sources told newsmen that security operatives arrived the scene nearly 45 minutes after the incident, by which time the kidnappers had already vanished with their victims. The delay has once again raised concerns about the slow emergency response and poor surveillance on Benue’s rural routes, many of which are now regarded as death traps.

According to a community leader in Eke, Chief Adole Onuh, the same route has witnessed multiple abduction incidents in the past month alone, yet no concrete security strategy has been deployed. “Our people are not safe. This is a state of war. If the government won’t protect us, we’ll be forced to defend ourselves,” he warned.

Benue State Police Command, when contacted, confirmed receiving reports of the incident but said full details were still being gathered. DSP Catherine Anene, the command’s spokesperson, stated that an anti-kidnapping squad and joint task force had been deployed to comb surrounding forests and ensure the safe rescue of the abducted passengers.

This latest attack comes barely a week after over 200 residents were killed in coordinated assaults across several Benue communities, an incident that prompted President Bola Tinubu’s controversial visit to the state — during which he failed to visit Yelwata, one of the worst-hit areas, citing bad roads.

As families anxiously await word on the fate of their loved ones, tension is mounting in Okpokwu and neighboring communities. Local youth groups have vowed to stage mass protests if concrete rescue efforts are not seen within 48 hours. Human rights activists and civil society groups are also calling on the federal government to declare a security emergency in Benue.