The Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Police Command have dismissed viral reports alleging that bandits carried out attacks in parts of Lagos State, including Eleko in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area and Imota.
According to the authorities, the claims circulating on social media were false and caused unnecessary panic among residents across affected communities.
Reports had spread on Monday suggesting that armed attackers had invaded certain areas, including claims that a primary school in Imota was targeted and pupils were harmed. The rumours quickly triggered widespread fear, prompting many parents to rush to schools to pick up their children.
The situation led to confusion, with several schools releasing pupils early and communities experiencing heightened tension. Some schools reportedly contacted parents as a precaution following the circulating messages.
Further panic was amplified during a live radio call-in programme where similar unverified claims were repeated. However, the Executive Chairman of Imota Local Council Development Area later debunked the reports, stating that no such attack occurred and that there was no official security confirmation.
A school head in Agbowa also clarified that the panic stemmed from an unrelated accident rather than any security breach. Meanwhile, the radio station involved later acknowledged that the information shared on-air was not properly verified and issued an apology.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed that there was no bandit attack in Eleko or Imota. Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, described the reports as false and said investigations would be carried out to trace the origin of the viral messages and videos.
