A teacher at Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College, Lagos, has been detained by the police after a practical demonstration on banditry and kidnapping sparked panic and a stampede within a multi-school educational complex in Ojokoro.
The teacher, identified as Mr. S.O.P. Sodipe, reportedly staged a dramatic awareness session on June 10 using costumes, props and a vehicle designed to simulate the appearance and tactics of armed groups.
What was intended as an educational exercise quickly spiralled into chaos when students and staff, unaware that the scenario was staged, mistook the demonstration for a real attack and fled in panic.
The incident triggered confusion across the school community and surrounding neighbourhoods, with frightened students running into nearby residential areas, including the LSDPC Estate, while parents rushed to schools amid fears of a bandit invasion.
The Lagos State Government, through Education District I, later clarified that no kidnapping or security breach occurred, describing the incident as a poorly coordinated awareness exercise that was misunderstood.
According to officials, the teacher failed to notify school authorities, staff members or students ahead of the role-play, a lapse that contributed significantly to the panic.
Witnesses said the demonstration involved a truck arriving on the premises with participants dressed in outfits resembling those associated with armed groups, creating a scene that many believed was real.
The Ojokoro school complex houses four public secondary schools within the same expansive premises, with minimal physical separation between them, a factor that reportedly worsened the confusion.
In a statement to residents, the LSDPC Estate Residents Association confirmed that the alarm stemmed from the educational exercise and not from any actual attack.
The association noted that while the initiative may have been designed to promote awareness, it was inappropriate given the prevailing security concerns across the country.
Police were subsequently invited to restore calm, while Mr. Sodipe was taken in for questioning over the incident.
The Lagos State Government has appealed to parents and residents to remain calm, reiterating that all students were safe and that the situation had been brought under control.
