Benue kidnap victims not UTME candidates, police, JAMB clarify

The Benue State Police Command and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) have moved to correct a significant misinformation campaign that wrongly identified abducted passengers on the Makurdi-Otukpo Road as Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates. This clarification is crucial, as the false narrative had unfairly cast a shadow over JAMB and potentially caused distress to the families of the actual victims.

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The command states that this claim is incorrect, as the victims were not confirmed to be part of any organised UTME-bound student convoy, but passengers in a Makurdi-bound bus.

According to the police, the victims were simply passengers in a bus traveling to Makurdi, and there was no confirmation linking them to any organized student convoy for the UTME. JAMB's spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, further elaborated that the individuals were, in fact, participants in an ongoing police recruitment exercise. This correction is vital not only for clarifying the facts of the incident but also for protecting the reputation of JAMB, which has been subjected to unwarranted criticism due to these baseless claims.

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It is regrettable that, in moments like this, there is a tendency to hastily malign government institutions, particularly JAMB, without proper verification of facts. Such premature conclusions appear, at times, to be driven more by a desire to assign blame than to seek truth.

From our perspective at The Punch, this situation underscores the critical need for responsible information dissemination. The swiftness with which the false narrative spread highlights the dangers of social media and unverified news. JAMB rightly points out that such premature conclusions, often driven by a desire to assign blame rather than seek truth, can cause significant damage. While the identity or purpose of the victims' travel does not diminish the severity of the kidnapping, clarifying these facts is essential for accurate reporting and for preventing institutions from being unfairly maligned. We urge the public and media outlets to prioritize verification before publishing, especially in sensitive situations.

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One would expect that, in light of the facts now established, those who propagated these unfounded claims would extend a public apology to JAMB for the unwarranted damage to its reputation.