Confusion and panic erupted at Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College in the Ojokoro area of Lagos on Wednesday morning after a classroom demonstration on banditry was mistaken for a genuine attack, sparking a stampede involving students, teachers, and nearby residents.
The incident took place on Tigbetigbe Street during the weekly National Awareness Day programme held in schools across the state. The day's theme focused on banditry, and a teacher reportedly dressed in costume to make the session more practical and engaging by illustrating how bandits appear and operate.
However, the exercise quickly went wrong. As the teacher stepped out of his vehicle and approached the school assembly ground in full costume, students panicked, believing a real bandit had invaded the premises.“As soon as the teacher stepped out of his vehicle and approached the assembly ground, confusion erupted. The students thought he was a real bandit and began running in different directions,” an eyewitness recounted.
The alarm spread rapidly beyond the school, affecting students in three neighbouring schools within the same educational complex. Shouts of “Bandits! Bandits!” prompted many to flee, with some teachers also joining the rush for safety. The chaos spilled into nearby streets, creating widespread disorder.
Worried parents and guardians rushed to the scene after hearing reports of an alleged attack. Rumours of violence spread quickly through the community, with some residents claiming bandits were killing people inside the school.One resident who was on a morning walk described seeing students running frantically. Upon inquiring, he was told bandits had invaded. When he reached the school, a principal clarified that the panic stemmed from the dramatised awareness exercise on banditry.
Local resident Joshua Ekong confirmed that the misunderstanding caused significant anxiety among residents and disrupted normal activities in the area until the true situation was understood.
No injuries were reported in the available accounts, but the event highlighted the sensitivity around security issues in the region and the potential risks of using realistic simulations in awareness programmes.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com