The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of 14 passengers travelling through the Okpokwu axis of the state, deepening anxiety over rising insecurity in the region.

Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet said the victims were seized while travelling from the Igede-speaking areas of Oju and Obi Local Government Areas. The passengers were reportedly heading towards the South-West when their vehicle was intercepted along the Okpokwu road in the evening.

Edet explained that detectives have been deployed and that the command is treating the case as a priority. He declined to give operational details but insisted that security agencies are “on top of the situation” and working to track the kidnappers and secure the release of the hostages.

Local sources said the passengers had departed Iheijwo Market in Oju LGA and were using the Utonkon–Ojapo–Okpoga route when armed men emerged from the bush and forced the vehicle to stop. One source said the driver initially attempted to escape, prompting the attackers to open fire.

At least two passengers were reportedly shot dead during the ambush, while others were herded into the surrounding forest. Initial accounts suggested that about 15 people were taken, but subsequent security operations led to the rescue of two victims, leaving 13 unaccounted for. Police later confirmed that 14 passengers were abducted in total.

The Chairman of Oju Local Government Area, Jackson Ominyi, said he was briefed by security operatives that two people were killed in the attack. He commended the Chairman of Okpokwu LGA and local security teams for their role in rescuing two abductees and expressed hope that the remaining hostages would be freed.

The incident came on the heels of another violent attack in Benue, in which nine worshippers were abducted during a night vigil at St John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, in Utonkon, Ado LGA. The back-to-back incidents have intensified fears among residents and travellers who rely on the state’s road network.

Community leaders and rights advocates are calling for a stronger security presence along major routes in Benue, as well as better intelligence gathering to dismantle kidnapping gangs that have turned highways and rural communities into hunting grounds for ransom.