Panic erupted in a community in Oyo State on Tuesday after frightened parents reportedly stormed a primary school and forcefully withdrew their children over rumours of an ongoing bandit attack in a nearby community.
SaharaReporters learnt that the incident occurred at Ijeru Baptist Basic School I and III following reports circulating within the area that armed bandits had allegedly invaded communities around the Ajawa axis.
A video and photographs obtained by SaharaReporters captured chaotic scenes as anxious parents rushed into the school premises, forcing open the gates and hurriedly taking away their children amid fear and confusion.
A community source who witnessed the incident told SaharaReporters that the panic stemmed from unverified claims linking the nearby violence to suspected bandit activity.
“The parents stormed the school, forced the gate open, and began taking their children away by force,” the source said.
According to the source, many parents disregarded repeated assurances from school authorities, who maintained that the situation had nothing to do with a bandit invasion.
“The information they heard was that bandits were around Ajawa, which is not true,” the source added.
The source further explained that teachers at the school attempted to calm the situation after contacting security operatives within the area.
“The teachers came out saying they had contacted the police command within that district that they were told the violence had to do with a fight between Fulani people and the farmers there,” the source said.
The development comes amid heightened tension and fear in parts of Oyo State, following a recent attack and the abduction of teachers and pupils from schools in the Ogbomoso axis.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that armed men attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, abducting pupils, students, and teachers, including the principal of Community High School, Ahoro‑Esiele, Mrs. Rachael Alamu.
Meanwhile, one of the teachers kidnapped alongside Mrs. Alamu, Michael Oyedokun, has been killed.
Oyedokun was reportedly beheaded in a new video allegedly released by bandits on Sunday.
The viral footage showed the teacher tied up, forced to speak, and then gruesomely executed.
The latest panic at Ijeru Baptist Basic School reportedly disrupted academic activities, as many pupils were hurriedly withdrawn from classes by anxious parents and guardians.
Residents noted that fear of further school attacks has continued to spread across several communities, especially after multiple videos surfaced online showing abducted teachers pleading for government intervention from captivity.