The Borno State Government has urged residents to disregard fake news circulating online following a panic incident on Monday evening at Government Girls College, Maiduguri.
The Directorate of Home Affairs and Internal Security, in a public service announcement, said security agencies were immediately deployed to the school and successfully restored order.
It said a government delegation, including the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe; the Chief Adviser on Sustainable Development, Dr Mairo Mandara; and the Special Adviser on Media, Comrade Dauda Iliya, visited the school to calm the situation and reassure students and staff.
The ministry added that it had liaised with the military and other security agencies to strengthen security and de-escalate panic within Maiduguri metropolis.
It urged the public to ignore unverified information capable of causing fear and urged residents to report any suspicious activity to the nearest military or security formation.
Meanwhile, the Borno State Police Command, in a separate statement, described the incident as a false alarm.
The command said a distress call was received at about 0730hrs over an alleged attack at the school, prompting the swift deployment of operatives led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, DCP Garba Audu Bosso.
Preliminary investigation, according to the police, showed that the tension stemmed from a pandemonium among students near the staff quarters gate after some of them claimed to have sighted unidentified individuals behind the school fence.
The scare led to a minor stampede, but no loss of life was recorded.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, psc, urged the public to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information capable of causing unnecessary panic. He said normalcy had since been restored, adding that further details would be communicated in due course.
Both the government and the police advised residents to rely only on official information and to promptly report any suspicious activity to the nearest military or security formation.
