There was panic at the Government Girls College, Maiduguri, on Monday night after students raised an alarm over an alleged invasion by unidentified “men in black and face masks.”
The incident occurred around 8:25 pm when frightened students began running out of the school premises into nearby streets, many still dressed in their hostel clothing.
Residents around the area who spoke with Punch confirmed seeing the girls sprinting and screaming for help.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for Governor Babagana Zulum, Dauda Illiya, urged residents to remain calm, insisting that security operatives had swiftly taken control of the situation.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Illiya said, “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.”
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 on the ground to supervise developments.
Illiya further appealed to residents to disregard circulating rumours, stating, “The public is hereby advised to disregard any false information.”
A witness, Hussein Aliyu, who spoke with Punch, 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.
“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 that the investigation into the incident revealed that the tension stemmed 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.”
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.
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