The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in Aberdeen, raising renewed concerns over security in the state.
The victim, a Junior Secondary School 2 student of Monarch Model College, was reportedly kidnapped on the morning of Thursday, February 12, while being dropped off near her school by her mother.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, described as armed and masked, arrived in an unmarked vehicle and allegedly trailed the mother and child before striking at a junction close to the school. The assailants reportedly fired shots into the air to create panic, punctured a tyre of the vehicle conveying the student, and forcefully took the girl before fleeing the area.
The incident was reported at the Orita Challenge Police Station, prompting an immediate response from officers who visited the scene and began preliminary investigations.
Confirming the case, Police Public Relations Officer Olusola Olayinka Ayanlade said the abduction occurred at about 7:20 a.m. as the student was alighting from the vehicle that brought her to school. He noted that detectives have since been deployed, witnesses interviewed and intelligence gathering intensified to track down the suspects.
The Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, has ordered a comprehensive, intelligence-led manhunt to ensure the safe rescue of the child and the arrest of those responsible.
Police authorities assured residents that all necessary resources are being mobilised, urging members of the public to provide credible information that could assist ongoing investigations.
The incident has sparked fresh calls for strengthened security measures around schools and residential neighbourhoods across Oyo State.
