Since Friday, May 15, when armed bandits attacked three schools in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, there have been a series of threats, rumours and false alarm raised across Lagos and Ogun communities.

The coordinated attack in Oyo State resulted in the abduction of 46 people including 39 pupils and seven teachers.

Though there are reports that both the Federal Government and the Oyo State government are working very hard to rescue the 46 people that are still held hostage by bandits, rumours of similar attacks on schools across the South-West have continued to trend. Both public and private schools in some parts of the two states have been in panic mode, even as academic activities have been disrupted.

Saturday Sun gathered that rumours of bandits’ attacks and kidnapping in the communities have continued to threaten school schedules and activities, prompting teachers and students to refrain from going to school.

For instance, in Ikorodu, it was gathered that the rumours of the arrival of bandits began to spread gradually at Imota, and within a few minutes, the alarm spread like wildfire to Isiu, Adamo and adjoining communities in Ikorodu North Local Government Development Area. Despite the alarms, however, no kidnap incident was recorded in those communities as at the time of going to press.

Principal Education Officer at St. Saviour Anglican Primary School, Igbaga, Mrs. Ezemba Francisca Ifeoma said the rumours had affected the work schedule of the pupils as they were yet to resume fully for the academic session. According to her, teachers were available but the pupils stayed away from school.

“In my class there are almost 100 pupils, but I did not see up to 20. Even in other classes, you will see one person, two, three, as I am speaking to you. It is serious.

“Even the parents are coming to school to pick up their children and they are saying they will not bring them back until they are sure the children are safe. They said they have to watch and study the environment. So it is just a week of panicking. Yesterday, the students didn’t come to school, they were scared.”

She explained that although the school has security men who are members of the Lagos State Neighborhood Watch, the fears of violent attack persist.

“They are always here with our children. They make sure they guide the pupils when they arrive at the school. They bring them in, and make sure that everything is set.

“The security guards ensure that pupils don’t go out, and that they are well secured. They move around once in a while to check the school environment, making sure that nobody is hiding somewhere.

Madam Ezemba noted that the security situation in the country has been a major source of concern to parents and guardians.

“I advise that more police personnel should be put in strategic positions. More security agents should be employed and put at strategic locations so that they can monitor what is going on, especially in schools,” she said.

Babatunde Soniregun, an engineer, narrated how he ran to Community Primary school, Ijoko Abule in Ogun State, to pick his children when the rumours spread last Monday.

He said he had to leave his job to ensure he took the children back home safely. Shoniregun urged the Ogun State government to beef up security in schools across all the communities in the state.

“I am appealing to the federal and the Ogun State governments to save us from this daily trauma. As parents, we are scared of allowing our children to go to school and even the children themselves could not concentrate on their learning because they are also scared of the kidnapping scourge.

“During former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, issues of kidnapping were nipped in the bud because he was able to curtail the atrocities of the bandits.

“But it is unfortunate that bandits are now targeting the South-West and the schools and our children have been victims of the insecurity across the country,” he lamented.

The rumour scare also affected residents of many communities in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. Saturday Sun gathered that many prominent communities like Ogungbade, Agoro and Kajola are yet to recover from the false alarm raised over bandits’ attacks in schools.

Hajia Rasheedat Mustapha said academic activities had been disrupted in her area since schools resumed after the Eid Kabir holiday.

Mustapha explained that none of her children were going to school because the school authorities had ordered closure of the schools until peace was restored. She said the latest alarm was raised on Monday June 1, at Ajipaatu community, located at Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State. According to her, parents trooped to the community school to pick their children.

“Whether it is a rumour or false alarm, no parent would like to experience what the parents of the Ogbomoso schools were experiencing at the moment. We saw on social media how a teacher was killed, we saw how the pupils were beaten up mercilessly and we saw how they were being maltreated.

“So, as a mother, I would rather keep my children away from school for now till safety is assured rather than allow them to be victims of the cruel bandits.

“I am using this opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to intervene in the rescue mission. We saw the protests in Ogun, Oyo and Lagos and we pray to Allah for the safe return of the Ogbomoso school victims,” she lamented.

Meanwhile, a community leader in Ogun State and a chieftain of one of the prominent security groups in Nigeria, who sought not to be named, told the reporter that Ogun State has been a major target of the bandits and kidnappers in recent times.

He recalled how a manager of a filling station was kidnapped about three weeks earlier in Odeda Local Government Area of the state. According to him, the manager had been released after he paid an undisclosed amount of money as ransom.

He explained further that, though there is still more work to be done, the Ogun State police are working in collaboration with other security agencies like the OPC, and hunters to ensure that the state is safe for residents.

The community leader also pointed out that efforts should be made by the security agencies to beef up security at Ogun State Forest Reserve, located at Oloke Meji, Orile Ilugun and Bakatari, which he said is in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State and also the boundary between Ogun and Oyo States.

“There were unconfirmed reports that bandits wrote letters to the communities that they are coming to attack them, but whether the rumours are real or not, there is urgent need for the Ogun State government to keep the bandits and kidnappers at bay in the state. We cannot afford to lose our children.

“By now, our children are supposed to be in school but as of today, not many of them are in the school. Perhaps, it is the false alarm or rumours that are trending online that are causing the scare.

“I think security is a grassroots problem. So, the Federal Government and the state government should seek proper synergy with security groups like the OPC and other outfits and see how they could mobilise and secure our schools against bandits and kidnappers.

“Once that is done, the issue of kidnapping, whether it is a fake alarm or rumours would be addressed holistically,” he assured.

The community leader also appealed to members of the public to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information and raising false alarms that could create fear and panic across the communities. (The Sun)

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