Confusion and panic gripped a school complex in the Ojokoro area of Lagos on Wednesday after a classroom demonstration on banditry was mistaken for a real attack, triggering a stampede among students and teachers.
The incident occurred at Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College on Tigbetigbe Street during the weekly National Awareness Day programme observed in schools across Lagos State.
According to reports, the topic for the day’s awareness session was banditry. To make the presentation more practical and engaging, a teacher reportedly dressed as a bandit to demonstrate what such criminals look like.
However, the exercise quickly took an unexpected turn when students mistook the teacher for an actual bandit.
“However, as the teacher stepped out of his vehicle and approached the assembly ground, pandemonium broke out,” an eyewitness said.
“The students, believing he was a real bandit, immediately took to their heels in fear.
“Students in the other three schools within the same complex, upon hearing shouts of ‘Bandits! Bandits!’ also joined in the stampede.
“Some teachers were not left out, as they too ran for safety. The entire school complex, as well as adjoining streets, was thrown into confusion and panic.”
The scare quickly spread beyond the school premises, prompting worried parents to rush to the area to evacuate their children after receiving reports of a supposed attack.
One resident who witnessed the incident said the false alarm caused widespread fear.
“I was on my early morning walk when I noticed a group of students running frantically. When I asked what had happened, they told me that bandits had invaded their school and were killing people,” the eyewitness recounted.
“Concerned by the alarming report, I proceeded to the school complex to ascertain the situation.
“On getting there, I met one of the principals, who preferred not to be named. The principal narrated the incident that led to the chaos, explaining that the panic was triggered by a teacher’s attempt to dramatise the awareness topic on banditry.”
A resident of the area, Joshua Ekong, also confirmed that the incident caused significant panic and confusion within the community.
Normalcy was later restored after school authorities clarified that the incident was part of an awareness demonstration and not a real security threat.
