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At least 17 secondary school students are feared missing after armed gunmen stormed a major road in Nigeria’s Benue State, snatching the teenagers just as they were on their way to sit for university entrance examinations — marking the country’s first reported student abduction this year.
The kidnapping occurred along the Makurdi–Otukpo road, one of the central state’s busiest travel corridors, and also swept up other travellers who happened to be in the gunmen’s path. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and authorities have not publicly named any suspects, a pattern that has become frustratingly familiar in a country where both Islamist militant groups and criminal armed gangs routinely prey on vulnerable road users and rural communities.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed the incident late Thursday, denouncing it as a “cowardly act” while stopping short of disclosing the exact number of victims taken. It was local media that put the figure at 17 missing students. The governor did not mince words about the gravity of targeting young people at such a critical moment in their academic lives.
“The targeting of innocent citizens, particularly students on their way to sit for examinations, is unacceptable and stands against every norm of humanity and civil order,” Alia said in a statement.
He added that security agencies had been immediately mobilised, directing that “no effort be spared” in locating the abducted victims. Search-and-rescue operations were underway as of Thursday evening, though no breakthrough had been announced.
The abduction is the latest in a long and painful series of mass kidnappings that have come to define insecurity across Nigeria’s north and central regions. Despite repeated government pledges to stamp out such crimes, the attacks continue to fracture daily life — disrupting schooling, stalling commerce and turning routine road travel into a dangerous gamble. Many residents, weary of unfulfilled promises, are growing increasingly vocal in questioning whether authorities possess either the will or the capacity to protect ordinary citizens.
The crisis has also drawn international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump has pointed to Nigeria’s persistent insecurity as evidence of what he describes as the persecution of Christians in the country, and has gone as far as threatening military intervention. The Nigerian government, which comprises both Christian and Muslim officials, has pushed back against that framing, maintaining that the violence cuts across religious lines and endangers citizens of all faiths equally.
Armed gangs and Islamist militants frequently target travellers, schoolchildren and rural communities in Nigeria. The authorities did not say who they thought was behind the latest abduction.
The attack occurred along the Makurdi–Otukpo road, Governor Hyacinth Alia said, describing it as a “cowardly act.” He did not say how many people were taken but local media reported that 17 students were missing.
“The targeting of innocent citizens, particularly students on their way to sit for examinations, is unacceptable and stands against every norm of humanity and civil order,” Alia said in a statement.
Security agencies had launched search-and-rescue operations, with the governor directing that “no effort be spared” to locate the victims.
Mass kidnappings, despite repeated government pledges to prevent such incidents, continue to disrupt education, commerce, and travel, leaving frustrated residents questioning the authorities’ effectiveness in addressing the threat.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cited the insecurity to threaten military action over what he calls persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The government, made up of Christians and Muslims, says the insecurity affects people of both religions.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah