Security operatives were deployed to Government Girls College, Maiduguri, on Monday night after a sudden wave of panic swept through the school following an alarm raised by students over an alleged invasion by “men in black with face masks.”
The disturbance reportedly occurred around 8:25 p.m., prompting terrified students to flee their hostels and run onto nearby streets, many still dressed in nightwear. Witnesses described scenes of confusion as groups of girls screamed and scattered in different directions.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Borno State Governor, Dauda Illiya, urged residents to remain calm, stressing that security agencies had quickly taken control.
On his Facebook page, Illiya wrote: “A panic incident occurred this evening at the Government Girls College in Maiduguri. Security agencies were immediately deployed and have successfully restored order.”
He added that a government delegation including the Commissioner of Education, the Chief Adviser on Sustainable Development, and the Special Adviser on Media arrived at the school to monitor the situation, cautioning the public to ignore circulating misinformation.
Witnesses who spoke to PUNCH Online confirmed that students were seen running and shouting along the roads surrounding the school. Hussein Aliyu, a passerby, said: “At first, we thought traffic caused the hold-up, until we saw many students in uniform roaming and shouting.”
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Videos posted online showed distressed students claiming masked men entered the hostel while they were at the mosque. The posts also referenced fears of a repeat of past abductions, invoking memories of the 2014 Chibok tragedy.
However, the Borno State Police Command dismissed the alarm as false.
Police spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso stated: “False alarm on alleged attack on Government Girls College, Maiduguri. Please disregard misinformation. More details underway.”
Government Girls College remains under heightened security as part of ongoing efforts to protect schools in a region long affected by insurgency.
