Persistent rumours of bandit attacks on schools are triggering widespread panic among parents and pupils, severely disrupting academic activities and threatening school enrolment in parts of Nigeria.
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, unverified reports that bandits had attacked schools in Minna, Niger State, and abducted pupils spread rapidly across communities in Bosso, Kpakungu, Sabon-Wuse, and Lambata.
Although security agencies later debunked the claims, the panic was immediate and intense.
Parents abandoned their daily activities to rush to schools, children cried in fear, and teachers struggled to manage the chaos.
Many schools shut their gates, suspended shuttle services, and instructed parents to personally pick up their children.
“I didn’t go to school that Wednesday because I was sick, but my heart was beating fast for my mother to go and pick up my younger brother,” recalled pupil Fatima Erena.
Another pupil, Mercy, said her younger siblings cried while waiting for their father. Teachers described difficult moments trying to inform students without escalating fear. In one incident, a truck nearly crushed five children running home in panic.
Attendance dropped sharply in the following days. One pupil noted that less than 30 out of 45 students returned to class. Many parents kept their children at home, still shaken by the rumours.
Parents interviewed expressed deep frustration, citing past abductions in Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, and other states. Several have deliberately chosen day schools within Minna to avoid the risks associated with boarding schools.
Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere. In Edo, Enugu, and other states, schools were temporarily shut or parents kept children away due to security alerts and rumours of attacks by bandits or herdsmen.
Niger State Police Command and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education described the Minna reports as false and mischievous, urging parents not to panic.
The police said they have strengthened monitoring of schools under the School Protection Initiative.
Security expert Prof. Emmanuel Musa noted that parents’ reactions are understandable given Nigeria’s history of school kidnappings. He called for better communication between schools, security agencies, and parents to curb misinformation.
Counselling psychologist Mrs Mercy Amina Elaigwu warned of the psychological toll on children, saying repeated scares create anxiety and erode their sense of safety in school.
With Nigeria already grappling with over 18 million out-of-school children, education stakeholders fear that insecurity-driven rumours could further worsen enrolment and learning outcomes if not urgently addressed.
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