A Junior Secondary School two student of Monarch Model College, Ibadan, was kidnapped on Thursday morning, sending shockwaves through the community.
According to eyewitnesses, the kidnappers, who were masked and drove a car with no number plates, pursued the girl’s mother until she stopped to drop her off. The abductors, reportedly armed with a double-barrel gun, fired shots to scare people away and punctured the tire of the mother’s car, a RAV4 with Lagos registration KRD 350 GP.
The student, who tried to resist, was dragged away by the kidnappers, who escaped through the Challenge area. The incident has been reported to the Orita Challenge Police station, and officers, along with the girl’s mother, were at the scene around 8:50 am.
Oyo Police Command reacts
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed this in a statement released in Ibadan, the state capital, on Thursday.
He said, “The state Police command confirms an incident of suspected kidnapping reported in the Challenge area of Ibadan in the early hours of today, Thursday, February 12, 2026.
“Preliminary information indicates that at about 7:20 am, 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 incident was promptly reported to the Police, and detectives were immediately deployed to the scene 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 parents of the victim have been contacted and are in close contact with the Police as efforts continue to ensure the safe rescue of the child.
“The Commissioner of Police has directed a comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation, assuring that all possibilities and options are being explored to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and bring those responsible to justice.”
The Command urged members of the public to remain calm and to support the Police with any useful information, assuring that such information will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
The kidnapping has raised concerns about security in the area, following recent incidents of abductions and attacks in various parts of Nigeria.
