The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a 12-year-old student in the Challenge area of Ibadan, describing the incident as a suspected kidnapping and announcing an immediate investigation to secure her safe return.
The victim, a Junior Secondary School 2 pupil at Monarch Model College, was reportedly taken in the early hours of Thursday, February 12, while being dropped off at school. Police said the attack occurred at about 7:20 a.m. at a junction leading to the school premises.
Witnesses told investigators that masked men in an unmarked vehicle trailed the girl’s mother before striking near the school. The assailants, armed and reportedly firing shots into the air, dispersed residents at the scene and punctured the tyre of the mother’s Toyota RAV4 with Lagos registration KRD 350 GP.
Despite resistance, the student was forcibly taken as the gunmen fled through the Challenge axis.
The incident was reported at the Orita Challenge Police Station, where officers conducted a preliminary assessment alongside the victim’s mother shortly after the attack.
Confirming the development, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Olusola Olayinka Ayanlade said preliminary findings indicated that the child was abducted by unknown armed men as she alighted from a vehicle that conveyed her to school.
He added that detectives were immediately deployed to the scene and that eyewitnesses were questioned to generate leads. According to the command, the victim’s parents are cooperating fully with investigators.
The incident comes amid persistent concerns over school-related kidnappings and urban insecurity across parts of Nigeria. Although large-scale school abductions have been more common in northern states in recent years, security analysts note a growing pattern of targeted kidnappings in urban centres, often involving surveillance and rapid execution.
The brazen nature of the Ibadan attack, carried out in daylight near a school, has heightened anxiety among parents and residents in Oyo State’s capital.
The Challenge area of Ibadan is a densely populated commercial and residential district, making the timing and location of the attack particularly alarming. Early morning traffic and school drop-offs typically characterize the area at that hour.
Police authorities believe the attackers may have trailed the victim before choosing the junction as a strategic interception point.
Following confirmation of the abduction, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Femi Haruna, ordered a comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation.
Security operatives are said to be reviewing available leads and coordinating efforts aimed at tracking the perpetrators’ escape route through the Challenge axis.
Authorities have not disclosed whether ransom demands have been made.
The attack unfolded rapidly. Armed men confronted the vehicle, fired shots to scatter bystanders, disabled the car by puncturing a tyre, and forcibly removed the student. Within minutes, they had fled the scene.
Officers from Orita Challenge Police Station arrived shortly after the report was filed and began initial documentation and evidence gathering.
Since the incident, investigators have intensified efforts, questioning eyewitnesses and expanding surveillance in surrounding areas. The police command says the operation remains active and ongoing.
Residents have called for increased patrols around schools, particularly during peak drop-off and closing hours.
As of the latest update, no arrests have been announced. Police say operations are being conducted discreetly to avoid compromising rescue efforts.
The abduction underscores the continuing security challenges facing urban communities and school environments in Nigeria. For the Oyo State Police Command, the immediate priority is the safe rescue of the child and the apprehension of those responsible.
The outcome of the investigation is likely to shape public confidence in local security arrangements and may prompt renewed calls for enhanced protective measures around schools in Ibadan and beyond.
