GUNMEN ABDUCT 12-YEAR-OLD STUDENT IN IBADAN, POLICE LAUNCH MANHUNT

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Gunmen on Thursday abducted a 12-year-old student of a private secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State, sparking fresh security concerns in the state capital.

Eyewitnesses said that the masked kidnappers, armed with a gun and driving a vehicle without registration number plates, fired sporadically into the air to scare road users and passersby before whisking the girl away.

One eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred around 7:20 a.m.

“The kidnappers were masked and drove a car with no number plates. They pursued the girl’s mother and abducted the child as she was about to enter the school. Though the girl resisted, they overpowered her and escaped through the Challenge area of Ibadan,” the source said.

Confirming the incident, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the command received a report of the suspected kidnapping in the early hours of Thursday, February 12, 2026.

“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,” Ayanlade said.

He added that detectives were immediately deployed to the scene for assessment and investigation.

“Eyewitnesses at the scene were identified and questioned, and their accounts are providing valuable leads to assist ongoing investigations,” he stated.

According to the police spokesperson, the victim’s parents have been contacted and are working closely with the command to ensure the safe rescue of the child.

The Commissioner of Police has directed a comprehensive, intelligence-driven investigation into the incident, assuring residents that all necessary measures are being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and secure the victim’s release.

The command urged members of the public to remain calm and provide any useful information, promising that such details would be treated with strict confidentiality.

The incident comes barely two months after a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Wale Oriade, was kidnapped on December 3, 2025, at his office along Akala Expressway in Ibadan. Oriade regained his freedom on January 10, 2026, after spending 39 days in captivity.

Residents say the latest abduction has heightened fears over security in parts of the state capital.