The Lagos State Government and the police have dismissed reports alleging bandit attacks in parts of Eleko and Imota, describing the claims as false and unverified.
Panic had spread on Monday across some communities in Lagos State after messages circulated online and through other channels claiming that bandits had invaded areas around Eleko in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area.
The rumours triggered anxiety among residents, with several parents rushing to schools to pick up their children over fears of a possible attack.
A parent whose children attend a school in Eleko said she received an urgent call from school authorities instructing parents to withdraw their children.
“I was called from my children’s school that bandits are around Eleko and that we should pick up our children from school,” she said.
She explained that the directive appeared to affect multiple schools in the area, leading to confusion among residents.
“The directive was issued across the schools around this place, that schools should be closed and that parents should pick up their children.
Children are all over the place now,” she added.
However, authorities later clarified that no such attack had occurred, attributing the situation to misinformation.
The tension was further heightened by a call-in programme on a radio station where claims were made that two schoolgirls had been killed by bandits at a primary school in Imota Local Council Development Area.
A headmaster at a primary school in Agbowa, Odumeru Adekunle, dismissed the claim, stating that the incident being referred to was an accident and not a security attack.
Reacting to the rumours, the Chairman of Imota LCDA, Benson Ayodele, described the reports as entirely false.
“We wish to state categorically that the information is false, misleading, and entirely unfounded. There is no verified report or credible security information confirming any such incident within Imota LCDA,” he said.
He urged residents to disregard the rumours and rely only on official communication channels for security updates.
A broadcast station that initially aired the claims later issued an apology, admitting that the information was broadcast without proper verification.
“During our live phone-in segment, we received calls alleging that ‘Imota is on fire’ and that ‘bandits are in a public school’. In the urgency to inform, the information was aired without full verification from security agencies,” the station said.
The Lagos State Police Command also dismissed the alleged attack. Its spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command was reviewing circulating materials related to the incident.
“We will analyse the video and make a comment,” she stated.
Authorities have since urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information that could cause unnecessary panic in the state.
