Rescued Benue UTME Candidates Detail Torture And Ransom Demands Following Forest Captivity

Kidnapped Benue students share details of torture and starvation after being rescued from a forest den. Families reportedly paid millions for their release.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 20, 2026, 5:40 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Naija News

The Harrowing Return From Taraku Otukpo Captivity

A group of passengers abducted last Wednesday along the Taraku Otukpo road in Benue State have shared chilling accounts of their four day ordeal following their release on Sunday. The victims, who were traveling in a Benue Links vehicle for various commitments, including the national university entrance exams, were received by Governor Hyacinth Alia at the Government House in Makurdi. The Governor confirmed that the rescue operation, fueled by sustained security pressure, successfully secured the freedom of several commuters, eight of whom are candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Testimonies Of Deprivation And Physical Abuse

The survivors described a nightmare of starvation and systematic violence while being held in the forest. Gbenda Daniels, an 18 year old victim, recounted how the abductors immediately dispossessed him of 8,000 Naira before beginning a cycle of physical assault. According to Daniels, the group was denied actual food for the duration of their stay, surviving only by drinking dirty water found within the bush. Other victims echoed these sentiments, noting that their captors used sticks and machetes to beat them at will, regardless of their age or status as students.

Tactical Movements Within The Benue Bush

Orih Raphael Sylvester, a medical student from the University of Maiduguri, explained that the kidnappers kept the group in a state of constant motion to evade detection by security forces. On the first night, the victims were moved repeatedly through the forest without rest or sustenance. By the second and third days, the captors provided small amounts of garri mixed with salt, using the moments of feeding to force the victims to call their families. Sylvester noted that the beatings intensified during these calls to increase the psychological pressure on relatives to pay the demanded sums.