Panic grips Lagos schools as authorities debunk bandit invasion claims

Fear swept through parts of Lagos State on Monday after rumours of a suspected bandit attack triggered a rush by parents to withdraw their children from schools in communities around Eleko and Imota.

The alarm, which spread rapidly through social media messages and word-of-mouth reports, led to disruptions in several schools before state authorities and the police moved to dismiss the claims as false and unsubstantiated.

In Eleko, located in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, anxious parents hurried to schools following reports that armed bandits had invaded nearby communities.

One parent with children enrolled at Davdan Nursery and Primary School said she received an urgent call from school officials directing parents to collect their children immediately.

“I was called from my children’s school that bandits are around Eleko and that we should pick up our children from school,” she said.

The parent, who requested anonymity, said the directive was not limited to one school but appeared to affect several educational institutions within the area.

“The directive was issued across the schools around this place, that schools should be closed and that parents should pick up their children. Children are all over the place now. They said all children should go home,” she added.

As panic spread, officials began investigating the source of the reports and quickly moved to reassure residents that no such attack had occurred.

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The scare was further fuelled by claims aired during a radio phone-in programme, where callers alleged that bandits had attacked a public school in Imota Local Council Development Area and killed two schoolgirls.

However, school authorities in the area disputed the account, insisting that the incident being referenced was actually a road accident and not a security breach.

The Headmaster of LG Nursery and Primary School, Agbowa, Odumeru Adekunle, explained that the panic stemmed from misinformation linked to that accident rather than any attack by armed groups.

The Imota LCDA administration also issued a statement rejecting the claims and urging residents to disregard the circulating reports.

“We wish to state categorically that the information contained in the video is false, misleading, and entirely unfounded. There is no verified report, official record, or credible security information confirming the alleged incident within Imota LCDA,” the statement said.

Officials warned that the circulation of unverified information could heighten fear unnecessarily and advised members of the public to seek updates only from recognised security agencies and government channels.

The broadcast station at the centre of the controversy later admitted that the information had been aired before it was independently verified and apologised for the error.

“During our live phone-in segment, we received calls from listeners alleging that ‘Imota is on fire’ and that ‘bandits are in a public school’ with ‘two girls affected’. In the urgency to inform, the information was aired without full verification from security agencies and community leaders,” the station said.

The Lagos State Police Command also dismissed reports of any bandit attack, describing the claims as inaccurate.

Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said there was no confirmed incident matching the descriptions circulating online and in viral videos.

While rejecting the allegations, the command stated that it would still review the videos and claims being shared by members of the public before making any further pronouncements.

In a brief response to enquiries, the police spokesperson said, “We will analyse the video and make a comment.”

The official denials helped calm tensions later in the day, although the incident once again highlighted the speed at which unverified information can trigger widespread fear and disrupt normal activities in communities and schools.

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