Schools across parts of Abuja and nearby Nasarawa communities were thrown into chaos on Thursday after reports of a possible bandit invasion spread rapidly, prompting panic among parents and emergency rushes to retrieve children.
Schools in the Nyanya suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, were thrown into widespread panic on Thursday following allegations that armed band!ts had stormed the area with the intention of abd¥cting pupils for ransom.
The alarm reportedly originated from Phase 1 Primary School in Gbagalape, Abuja, and spread rapidly on social media, prompting anxious parents to abandon their workplaces and rush to schools to retrieve their children.
The panic also swept through virtually all schools in the Mararaba, Koroduma, and Ado communities in the Karu Local Government Area of neighbouring Nasarawa State, with parents responding to phone alerts by forcefully pulling their children out of classrooms.
School gates that are ordinarily left open until closing time were quickly locked to prevent unauthorised entry and protect pupils on the premises.
At Newphase Academy, the principal who chose to remain anonymous confirmed that the school had received information about the alleged invasion but said the situation on their premises was calm, adding that adequate security measures had been activated.
The school nonetheless allowed pupils to go home at 2 p.m., an hour earlier than usual, in response to parental requests.
The chaos created a brisk business opportunity for motorcycle and tricycle operators in the area, who were seen charging inflated fares to transport worried parents and pupils to their destinations.
However, the FCT Police Command moved swiftly to douse the tension, describing the entire scare as a false alarm that had been triggered by students, and assuring the public that there was no credible threat of a band!t invasion in the area.