A 12-year-old female student of a private secondary school was abducted Thursday morning in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in a brazen attack by masked gunmen.
Eyewitnesses reported that the kidnappers drove a vehicle without number plates and fired shots into the air to intimidate passersby during the operation.
The incident reportedly occurred around 7:20 a.m., with the assailants pursuing the girl’s mother before forcibly taking the student through the Challenge area of Ibadan.
“The kidnappers were masked and drove a car with no number plates. Though the girl resisted, they drove off,” one eyewitness said, requesting anonymity.
Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed that a report of the abduction was received early Thursday and detectives were immediately deployed.
Preliminary findings indicated that the girl was seized at a junction near her school as she alighted from a vehicle that conveyed her to the campus.
Eyewitnesses have been identified and questioned, providing crucial leads for the ongoing investigation, the police spokesman added.
The victim’s parents have been contacted and are cooperating closely with the police, while efforts continue to ensure the girl’s safe return.
The Commissioner of Police has ordered a comprehensive, intelligence-led probe to unravel the circumstances and apprehend those responsible.
The command urged the public to remain calm, assist with information, and assured that tips would be treated confidentially.
