Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have stepped up efforts to rescue a 12-year-old schoolgirl abducted by gunmen in Ibadan on Thursday.
The minor, a student of a private secondary school, was reportedly seized at about 7:20 a.m. in the Challenge area of the Oyo State capital while alighting from a vehicle that conveyed her to school.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the command’s spokesperson said the police received information about the suspected kidnapping in the early hours of the day and swiftly mobilised detectives to the scene to commence investigation.
The statement indicated that initial findings showed the pupil was allegedly taken by unidentified armed men at a junction close to the school entrance.
Witnesses at the scene claimed the assailants wore masks and operated a vehicle without number plates.
They were reportedly armed with a double-barrelled gun and fired warning shots into the air to disperse bystanders before whisking the girl away.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that the attackers chased the child’s mother and overpowered her before escaping through the Challenge axis.
The police said individuals who witnessed the incident had been questioned and that their accounts were assisting ongoing investigative efforts.
It added that the victim’s parents were cooperating closely with the authorities as moves to secure her safe release continued.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police has directed a comprehensive, intelligence-driven probe, assuring residents that every necessary measure is being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure justice.
The command urged members of the public to remain calm and volunteer credible information that could aid the investigation, promising that such information would be treated confidentially.
PUNCH Metro recalls that in December 2025, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Wale Oriade, was abducted in Ibadan and later freed after spending 39 days in captivity.
