How 12-year-old student was abducted — Police in Oyo

Gunmen on Thursday abducted a 12-year-old student of a private secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State.

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

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.

“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 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 in 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.

He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, has directed a comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation to rescue the child.

Olayinka urged members of the public to support the police with useful information, saying such information and the informant would be kept confidential.