On Monday night, students at Government Girls College in Maiduguri abruptly fled their dorms, claiming to have seen “men in black with face masks.” This caused a panic.
Around 8:25 p.m., terrified students—many of whom were still dressed in their dorm clothes—ran into the surrounding streets. Immediately, security personnel were sent to the school.
Dauda Illiya, the governor of Borno State’s spokesperson, advised the population to maintain composure, claiming that security forces had taken control.
“This evening at the Government Girls College in Maiduguri, there was a panic incident,” he said on Facebook. Security personnel were promptly dispatched in response, and they have been successful in reestablishing order.
Leading government representatives were already present at the school, he continued, and he urged the people to ignore any misleading information.
Amos Adziba, a Facebook user, shared a video of the students escaping. “Men in black with face masks entered their hostels while they were praying in the mosque,” he cited one of them.
In order to avoid being abducted like the Chibok girls, the student pleaded with the government to allow them to return home.
“We are calling on the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Commissioner of Police… and the Commissioner of Education… to quickly intervene before we hear bad news,” Amos said in an appeal to the authorities.
The police then said that the alarm was untrue.
According to a statement from ASP Nahum Daso, the Police Public Relations Officer, investigations revealed that the terror began when some kids panicked close to the gate of the staff quarters, claiming to have seen unknown persons behind the fence.
According to the statement, “False Alarm on Alleged Attack at Government Girls College, Maiduguri,” there was a brief stampede caused by the hysteria, but no one was hurt.
It further stated that police promptly arrived and evaluated the situation under the direction of Garba Audu Bosso, Deputy Commissioner of Police.
According to Daso, “the situation sparked fear, leading to a minor stampede with no recorded deaths.”
Naziru Abdulmajid, the commissioner of police for Borno State, asked people “to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information capable of causing unnecessary panic.”
Normalcy has returned, according to the police, and there will be more updates.
