Panic Erupts In Borno School: Girls Flee Hostels After Rumoured Intruders Invade Campus

The disturbance occurred around 8:25 pm, prompting terrified students to flee the school premises into nearby streets, many still dressed in their hostel wear.

Residents near the area told Punch that they witnessed the students running and shouting for help.

Reacting to the incident, Governor Babagana Zulum’s spokesperson, Dauda Illiya, urged the public to remain calm, explaining that security personnel had quickly taken control of the situation.

In a Facebook statement, Illiya said, “There was a panic incident this evening at Government Girls College 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—was already at the school to monitor the situation.

Illiya also appealed to the public to ignore circulating rumours, saying, “The public is hereby advised to disregard any false information.”

A witness, Hussein Aliyu, told Punch, “There was traffic, and we thought it was just the traffic light. Then I saw students in uniform running and shouting along the road.”

Another witness, Facebook user Amos Adziba, who shared a video of the fleeing students, wrote, “These are students of Government Girls College Maiduguri running out of their hostels tonight. One student said men in black with face masks entered their hostels while they were praying in the mosque. She is pleading with the government to let them go home so they won’t be kidnapped like the Chibok girls.

“We call on the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Commissioner of Police, and the Commissioner of Education to intervene urgently.”

However, the Borno State Police Command dismissed the alarm as false.

In a statement titled “False Alarm on Alleged Attack at Government Girls College, Maiduguri,” the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, said investigations showed the scare was caused by panic among the students.

According to the statement, the police responded immediately after receiving a distress call on 24 November 2025 and conducted an on-the-spot assessment led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Garba Audu Bosso.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the tension resulted from a pandemonium among students near the staff quarters’ gate, who claimed to have sighted unidentified individuals behind the school fence.”

The panic triggered a minor stampede, but no casualties were recorded.

Daso added that the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, urged citizens to stay calm and avoid spreading unverified information that could cause unnecessary fear.

“Normalcy has been restored. Further updates will be provided in due course,” he said.