Mass Panic Erupts at Nasarawa School Over Misidentified Hunters
Confusion gripped Peter's Foundation Secondary School in Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Friday morning when students mistakenly identified local hunters as potential kidnappers, triggering widespread panic among the school community.
In an exclusive telephone interview with Legit.ng, school proprietor Peter Ezegwoya provided crucial clarification about the incident, describing it as a "false alarm" caused by fear and misunderstanding rather than an actual security threat.
How the False Alarm Unfolded
The incident began during the school's routine Friday field work activities. According to Ezegwoya, students spotted two armed individuals along a familiar path near the school premises. The sight of weapons immediately triggered fear among the children, who assumed the men were bandits or kidnappers.
"There is a routine in our school on Friday. The students always work in the field," Ezegwoya explained. "So while they were working this morning, they saw two people with guns. These people are hunters armed with guns. The hunters are going their way to do their business."
The proprietor emphasized that the armed men were known local hunters who regularly use that route for their activities, not strangers posing any threat to the school.
Rapid Escalation and Community Response
The initial sighting quickly spiraled into chaos as frightened students rushed to alert their teachers about what they believed were kidnappers. Teachers acted swiftly, mobilizing students back to their classrooms while attempting to verify the claims.
"These students, out of fear, rushed to their teachers to report that they saw bandits or kidnappers with guns," Ezegwoya stated. "The teachers quickly mobilised them back to their class while trying to verify the students' claim. They later realised the gunmen were hunters."
However, the situation escalated further when students returned to their classrooms and shared the alarming news with their peers. The misinformation spread rapidly through the school, culminating in students contacting their parents about the perceived kidnapping threat.
"This was how the students returned to class and informed their fellow students that they had seen kidnappers," the proprietor clarified. "The students started shouting, and they rushed to their parents to say that there were kidnappers in their school. That was how the false alarm spread."
Parents Rush to School Amid Chaos
The false reports triggered immediate panic throughout the Rukubi community, with local sources initially claiming that armed men had stormed the school. Frightened parents descended on the school premises, desperate to evacuate their children from what they believed was an active kidnapping situation.
Video evidence posted on social media platform X by user @AsakyGRN showed chaotic scenes of parents running across the school compound. The user had initially posted: "Schools in Rukubi, Doma LGA of Nasarawa State have been shut down following an incident where unidentified men entered Peter's Foundation Secondary School and took away some students."
However, Ezegwoya firmly denied these claims, confirming that no students were abducted and that normal academic activities had resumed once calm was restored to the institution.
Official Confirmation from Police
The Nasarawa State Police Command corroborated the school proprietor's account of events. Police Public Relations Officer Ramhan Nansel also described the alleged abduction as a false alarm, providing official reassurance to the concerned community.
This incident highlights the heightened security anxieties in Nigerian educational institutions following recent actual kidnapping cases across the country.
Contrast with Recent Security Incidents
The false alarm at Peter's Foundation Secondary School stands in stark contrast to a genuine security breach reported earlier at St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State. In that incident, terrorists stormed the school around 3-4 a.m., abducting an unconfirmed number of students.
Eyewitnesses reported that gunmen fired indiscriminately during the Niger State attack, forcing children into nearby bushes while also kidnapping teachers and a woman. The Niger State Government expressed regret that the school had reopened without proper security clearance despite weeks of intelligence warnings about potential threats.
The Nasarawa school incident demonstrates how lingering fear from actual kidnapping cases can trigger mass panic even in situations where no real threat exists, underscoring the need for improved communication and security protocols in educational institutions nationwide.
