Gunmen abduct 12-year-old schoolgirl in Ibadan; police launch investigation

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a 12-year-old female secondary school student in the Challenge area of Ibadan, describing the incident as a suspected kidnapping and assuring the public that efforts are underway to rescue the victim safely.

The pupil, a Junior Secondary School 2 student of Monarch Model College, was reportedly abducted in the early hours of Thursday while being dropped off at school.Eyewitnesses said the assailants, who were masked and arrived in a vehicle without number plates, allegedly trailed the girl’s mother before striking at a junction leading to the school premises.

The gunmen were reportedly armed and fired shots into the air to disperse residents. They also punctured the tyre of the mother’s vehicle, a Toyota RAV4 with Lagos registration number KRD 350 GP.

Despite attempts to resist, the student was forcibly dragged away as the abductors fled through the Challenge axis.
The incident was promptly reported at the Orita Challenge Police Station, where officers visited the scene alongside the victim’s mother for a preliminary assessment.

Confirming the development in an official statement, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olusola Olayinka Ayanlade, said: “An incident of suspected kidnapping was reported in the Challenge area of Ibadan in the early hours of today, Wednesday, February 12, 2026.”

According to the command, “Preliminary information indicates that at about 7:20 a.m., a 12-year-old female student of a private secondary school in the area was allegedly abducted by unknown armed men at a junction leading to the school premises as she was alighting from a vehicle that conveyed her to school. The police said detectives were immediately mobilised to the scene.

“The incident was promptly reported to the police, and detectives were immediately deployed for preliminary assessment and fact-finding. Eyewitnesses at the scene were identified and questioned, and their accounts are providing valuable leads to assist ongoing investigations,” the statement said.

The command further disclosed that the victim’s parents are working closely with law enforcement authorities. “The parents of the victim have been contacted and are in close communication with the police as efforts continue to ensure the safe rescue of the child,” it added.

Reassuring the public, the police said the Commissioner of Police, CP Femi Haruna, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident. “The Commissioner of Police has directed a comprehensive, intelligence-driven investigation, assuring that all possibilities are being explored to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and bring those responsible to justice,” the statement said.

The command appealed for calm and cooperation from residents, urging members of the public to provide any useful information, with assurances that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

It added that updates would be provided as investigations progress.