A 12-year-old secondary school pupil, Munachi Umenyi, abducted by suspected gunmen in February at Challenge area, Ibadan, has regained freedom.

The Peoples Gazette gathered that the pupil had since reunited with her family.

The state police spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, could not be reached for comments on the development as his mobile was unreachable.

 But a reliable police source told The Gazette that the schoolgirl was released in February. 

The source said, “The family never cooperated with the police. The driver was arrested and was in custody for sometime. But the parent never showed up. When the child was later released to them, we heard through a third party.”

Earlier on February 12, the state police command spokesperson said that gunmen abducted the 12-year-old pupil at about 7:20am at a junction leading to her school.

It stated, “The Oyo State Police Command confirms an incident of suspected kidnapping reported in the Challenge area of Ibadan in the early hours of today, Thursday, 12th February 2026,” the statement said.

“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 unknown armed men at a junction leading to the school premises as she was alighting from a vehicle that conveyed her to school.”

Responding to the case, the police spokesperson said detectives were deployed to the scene of the incident and interrogated witnesses to trail the perpetrators of the act.