Kidnappers Abduct 12-Year-Old JSS Student In Ibadan

Some unknown gunmen on Thursday morning abducted a 12-year-old female student of a private school located around the Challenge area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, causing panic among residents of the community and the school.

Confirming the incident, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said it happened in the early hours of Thursday and that “preliminary information indicates that at about 7:20 a.m., a 12-year-old female student of a private secondary school in the Challenge 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 urges 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 PPRO said.

The student, according to New Telegraph investigations, is a Junior Secondary School 2 pupil of Monarch Model College, Challenge area. Eyewitnesses said the kidnappers, 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 said to be armed and fired shots into the air to scare residents, while also puncturing the tyre of the mother’s vehicle , a Toyota RAV4 with Lagos registration number KRD 350 GP.

The student was reportedly dragged away despite attempting to resist, as the abductors escaped through the Challenge axis.