Tension At Another Borno Girls’ School As Students Flee Over Suspected Attack

Security operatives were, on Monday night, deployed to Government Girls College, Maiduguri, after a sudden alarm was raised by students over an alleged attack by “men in black and face masks.”

Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred around 8:25 pm when visibly distressed students fled towards the streets surrounding the school, many wearing their hostel clothing.

Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Borno State Governor, Dauda Illiya, called for calm and assured residents that security operatives had taken control of the situation.

On his Facebook page, Dauda wrote: “A panic incident occurred this evening at the Government Girls College in Maiduguri.

In response, security agencies were immediately deployed and have successfully restored order.

“To oversee the situation, a government delegation comprising the Commissioner of Education, the Chief Adviser on Sustainable Development, and the Special Adviser on Media are currently present at the school.

“The public is hereby advised to disregard any false information.”

Bystanders who spoke to Very Nigerian confirmed that students were seen running and shouting along the road.

A witness, Hussein Aliyu, said, “While I was passing, there was a hold-up. At first, we thought it was caused by the traffic light, until I saw many students in uniform roaming and shouting along the road.”

Also, a Facebook user who posted a video of the students, Amos Adziba, wrote: “These are students of Government Girls College Maiduguri, running out of their hostels this night. One of the students (anonymous) said men in black with face masks entered their hostels while they were praying in the mosque. She is calling on the government to allow them to go to their various homes so they won’t be kidnapped like the Chibok girls.”

Amos added, “We are calling on the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, and the Commissioner of Education, Borno State, to quickly intervene before we hear bad news.”

Meanwhile, a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Nahum Daso, said investigation into the incident revealed that the tension resulted from a pandemonium among students.

He described the alarm as false and urged residents to ignore the claims.

The statement, titled “False Alarm on Alleged Attack at Government Girls College, Maiduguri,” confirmed that the incident led to a stampede among the students, with no loss of life.

It reads, “Following a distress call received today, 24th November 2025, at about 0730hrs regarding an alleged attack at Government Girls College, Maiduguri, operatives of the Command, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, DCP Garba Audu Bosso, swiftly deployed to the scene and conducted an on-the-spot assessment.

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

“The situation triggered fear, leading to a minor stampede, with no loss of life recorded,” he added.

Daso, however, noted that the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, urged members of the public “to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information capable of causing unnecessary panic.”

“Normalcy has since been restored in the area. Further details will be communicated in due course,” he assured.

Government Girls College, Maiduguri, is one of the many female boarding schools in Borno State operating under heightened security due to the region’s long history of insurgency-related attacks.

Memories of the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok and similar incidents across the North-East have left communities extremely sensitive to reports of suspicious activities around schools.

In recent years, Borno State authorities have repeatedly emphasised tightened security around educational institutions as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and encourage school attendance.

However, occasional panic incidents still occur, often triggered by rumours or unverified alarms—reflecting the psychological toll of years of insurgency on students, parents, and residents.