Panic As Suspected Bandits Target Delta Primary School

Fear swept through the Aragba-Orogun community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State on Thursday after suspected kidnappers reportedly entered a primary school and attempted to abduct a pupil.

Naija News understands that the development forced pupils, teachers and other school workers to flee the premises as panic spread across the community.

Sources who spoke with The Leadership said the commotion began when some strange men, believed to be kidnappers, were sighted within the school premises.

They allegedly attempted to seize one of the pupils but failed before fleeing the area.

A security source at the Orogun Police Division confirmed that operatives were deployed to the school immediately after the division received a distress report.

The source said a surveillance team, supported by local vigilantes, began combing the surrounding forest in search of the suspects.

At the time of filing this report, the search operation was still ongoing, and full details of the incident had yet to emerge.

The scare heightened anxiety among residents, with several parents reportedly rushing to schools to withdraw their children over safety concerns.

Earlier Rumour Disrupted Schools

Thursday’s incident came weeks after a similar security scare in Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku communities in Delta North.

In the earlier incident, rumours that suspected kidnappers had entered a primary school prompted parents to rush to the school and take their children home.

The panic reportedly began after a woman claimed she saw a group of suspiciously dressed men entering a primary school in Ibusa.

The report spread rapidly to neighbouring communities, disrupting academic activities and forcing some schools to close temporarily.

Some schools remained shut the following day, while others recorded low attendance among teachers and pupils.

At Adiagbo Secondary School in Ogwashi-Uku, fewer than 30 students reportedly attended classes.

Police Dismissed Earlier Alarm

The Delta State Police Command later described the earlier report of kidnappers or bandits entering schools as false.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, also denied claims that the woman who raised the alarm had been arrested.

“There was panic in the communities as parents hurried to schools to withdraw their children. Following the fear, some schools shut their gates. In the confusion, a woman and her children reportedly fell into gutters and sustained injuries,” Edafe said.

A trader at Afor Market in Ogwashi-Uku, Mrs Cordelia Onukwu, said she rushed to Anishi Primary School to take her daughter home after hearing the rumour.

“Na God go help us. Insecurity na our trouble now and nobody go hear say kidnappers enter school and parents go sleep. So I have to go and collect my child,” she said.

Normalcy later returned to the affected communities, with schools resuming academic activities after the police dismissed the report as a rumour.