Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has spoken out over the reported abduction of 14 candidates preparing for the 2026 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination in Benue State.
Reacting to the incident, Obi described it as deeply distressing and a stark reflection of leadership failure and the worsening security situation across the country.
The students were reportedly kidnapped late Wednesday by armed men while travelling along the Makurdi–Otukpo Road. They were said to be on their way to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), scheduled for Thursday, April 16.
Earlier reports indicated that the victims were passengers on a Benue Links bus heading to their examination centre when the attack occurred. However, the state police suggested the possibility that the journey may have taken place outside an approved timeframe.
Obi expressed concern that young Nigerians pursuing education are increasingly being exposed to violence. He said it is unacceptable that students striving for a better future are confronted with insecurity instead of protection.
He further warned against a situation where authorities responsible for safeguarding citizens appear more focused on upcoming elections than on ensuring public safety. According to him, the country’s already low rate of tertiary education attainment makes the loss of any student to violence even more troubling.
“In a country where the proportion of tertiary graduates is already painfully low — about one per cent — compared to countries like Indonesia with roughly 13 per cent and South Africa with around 10 per cent, this situation is unacceptable. We cannot afford to lose even one more student to violence,” he stated.
Obi also criticised what he described as misplaced priorities, saying those entrusted with protecting citizens seem more concerned with political contests than with securing roads, preventing attacks, and rescuing victims.
He stressed that the incident reflects a broader and recurring crisis rather than an isolated case, calling for urgent and decisive action from those in leadership.
“A nation that abandons its youth abandons its future. This cannot continue,” he added in a post on X.
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