Pandemonium broke out inside Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College in Lagos State after hundreds of students, teachers fled their classrooms, assembly grounds and staff rooms after they mistook a staff member dressed as a bandit for a real attacker, triggering a stampede that spread fear within and outside the school complex.
The incident, which occurred during the state’s weekly National Awareness Day exercise, threw the school complex and surrounding neighbourhood into confusion as students, teachers and parents scrambled for safety amid fears of a bandit attack in the state.
As gathered on Wednesday, the day’s awareness programme focused on banditry and other security threats confronting parts of the country.
Eyewitnesses narrated that in an attempt to make the presentation more practical and engaging for the schoolchildren, a teacher reportedly disguised himself as a bandit to demonstrate to students how such criminals operate in states where they have launched attacks.
However, the exercise which was expected to educate the schoolchildren, took an unexpected turn when the teacher arrived at the school premises in full costume that replicate a bandit.
Eyewitnesses narrated that as he stepped out of his vehicle and approached the assembly ground to enlighten the students, frightened schoolchildren reportedly mistook him for an actual bandit and began shouting, “Bandits! Bandits!”
Within moments, panic spread across the school, forcing students to ran in different directions seeking safety, while the alarm quickly spread to three other schools located within the same educational complex.
The resulting confusion triggered a stampede as hundreds of students abandoned assembly activities and rushed out of classrooms and school premises.
Some teachers were also caught in the panic and fled alongside students as rumours of an armed invasion spread rapidly through the area.
The situation soon extended beyond the school compound, with residents and motorists abandoning normal activities while anxious parents rushed to the schools to evacuate their children.
An eyewitness, who was taking an early morning walk, said he encountered groups of students running frantically along adjoining streets with aim to avoid gunmen attacks.
“I stopped some of them to ask what was happening, and they told me bandits had invaded their school and were killing people. Because of the seriousness of the claim, I immediately headed to the school to find out what was going on,” he said.
Upon arrival at the school complex, the witness said he met one of the principals, who explained that the commotion was triggered by a teacher’s dramatization of the awareness topic.
According to the principal, who preferred not to be named, there was no security breach or attack on the school, and the situation was quickly brought under control after authorities explained what had happened.
No casualty was reported, although several students and parents were said to have suffered shock following the incident.
The episode has since sparked debate among parents and education stakeholders over the methods used in delivering security awareness programmes in schools.
While many acknowledged the importance of practical demonstrations, some argued that students should have been adequately briefed beforehand to avoid creating panic and confusion.