A wave of panic and anxiety has gripped Onitsha and beyond following the suspected abduction of fifteen students and their school director, who have been unreachable more than 24 hours after departing for a rescheduled JAMB examination in Okigwe, Imo State.
The students, who were reportedly transported in a chartered bus from Onitsha early Saturday morning, were scheduled to sit for their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Okigwe. According to social media reports, including a viral post by influencer @UchePOkoye, none of the students, the school director, his wife, or the bus driver has been seen or heard from since their departure at around 6:30 a.m.
Efforts to reach them via mobile phones have failed, raising fears of a possible abduction. The worrying situation has prompted widespread concern online, with many Nigerians demanding swift action from security agencies and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
A message shared by a fellow student read: “Good evening sir, my classmates that their JAMB got rescheduled and they had papers yesterday by 6:30am at Okigwe, Imo State have been missing. 15 of them, none of their numbers is reachable including our school director, they left from Onitsha.”
Reposting the alert, @UchePOkoye stated: “15 school kids entered a chartered bus from Onitsha yesterday to Okigwe, Imo State to write their rescheduled JAMB and have been missing since yesterday. The school children, the school owner, his wife, the driver — all unreachable. @JAMBHQ you will never go scot-free!”
The development has sparked outrage and condemnation, especially given the growing insecurity in parts of the South East. Many are questioning the decision to assign candidates to volatile areas for a standardized national exam.
Social media user @Daniel_Elviss wrote: “Why didn’t they just remark the sheets, or rather give an average score to all the students affected, as they did in 2017? This country’s anyhowness is unmatched.”
Another, @jay_den111, asked: “Why did they send people to different states instead of the ones they originally registered in? Gosh.”
The growing suspicion of kidnapping has also reignited calls for regional autonomy in managing education and entrance exams, with some suggesting that states in the South East develop their own university admission systems.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official confirmation from security agencies or JAMB. The families of the missing individuals continue to wait in agony, hoping for a safe return and swift government intervention.
Authorities are being urged to treat the situation with urgency and ensure the safe recovery of the students and school officials.
