A day after panic swept through Akure following a false alarm about suspected bandits, schools across the Ondo State capital recorded poor attendance on Thursday as many parents refused to send their children back to class despite government assurances that the report was fake.
The unfounded rumour, which spread rapidly on Wednesday, triggered chaos in several schools as anxious parents and guardians rushed to pick up their children over fears of an imminent attack.
The situation disrupted academic activities and caused widespread concern across the city.
Although the Ondo State Government later dismissed the report as false and urged residents to remain calm, the reassurance appeared insufficient to convince many parents, who chose to keep their children at home.
Visits to several public and private schools in Akure showed largely empty classrooms, with only a handful of students in attendance. In many schools, teachers outnumbered students as academic activities continued in near-deserted learning environments.
At one public secondary school visited by our correspondent, several classrooms had fewer than five students, while some classes had no students at all.
Parents who spoke on the development said they were still worried about the safety of their children and preferred to exercise caution.
Mrs. Bose Adegoke, a mother of three, said the frightening scenes witnessed on Wednesday influenced her decision.
“Yesterday was terrifying. People were running into schools to pick up their children, and nobody knew exactly what was happening. Even though the government said the news was fake, I felt it was safer to keep my children at home today,” she said.
Another parent, Mr. Sunday Alabi, expressed similar concerns.
“The fear is still there. We cannot ignore what happened yesterday. I believe many parents are just being careful until they are fully convinced that everything is normal,” he stated.
However, a few parents who allowed their children to attend school said they were satisfied with the government’s explanation and believed normalcy should return.
School administrators appealed to parents not to panic and to rely only on verified information from official sources, stressing that adequate measures were in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Meanwhile, education stakeholders have called for greater public awareness on the dangers of spreading unverified information, noting that false security alerts can create unnecessary panic and disrupt critical activities such as schooling.
As schools struggled with low attendance on Thursday, many observers believe it may take several days for parents to fully regain confidence and return their children to classrooms across Akure.
