Academic activities were severely disrupted across parts of Delta State on Wednesday after hundreds of pupils and students in Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku stayed away from school following widespread rumours of suspected kidnappers or bandits allegedly sighted at a primary school in Ibusa.

The panic, which spread rapidly across the two communities, prompted anxious parents—particularly mothers—to rush to schools to withdraw their children over fears of possible abductions, leading to confusion and temporary closure of some schools.

The alarm reportedly began on Tuesday when a woman claimed she saw a group of men, whom she suspected to be bandits based on their appearance and mode of dressing, entering a primary school in Ibusa.

The claim quickly circulated within the communities, sparking widespread fear despite the absence of any confirmed attack.

Eyewitnesses said parents abandoned their businesses and other engagements to search for their children, while school authorities in some affected schools shut their gates as a precautionary measure.

The ensuing chaos reportedly left at least one woman and her children injured after they fell into roadside gutters while fleeing in panic in Ibusa.

At Adiagbo Secondary School in Ogwashi-Uku, only a handful of students reportedly turned up for classes as many parents kept their children at home over security concerns.

However, the Delta State Police Command dismissed the reports, describing the claims as false and baseless.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, said investigations revealed that no such incident occurred, insisting that the reports were “fake” and amounted to mere rumours capable of causing unnecessary panic among residents.

Edafe also debunked claims circulating on social media that the woman believed to have triggered the alarm had been arrested by the police, clarifying that she was not in police custody.

Speaking on the panic, a businesswoman at Afor Market in Ogwashi-Uku, Mrs. Cordelia Onukwu, said she immediately abandoned her business to pick up her daughter from Anishi Primary School after receiving information about the alleged presence of criminals in the area.

“I could not take any chances. Once I heard the rumour, I rushed straight to my daughter’s school because every parent was afraid,” she said.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere of fear in Delta State has been compounded by a deadly attack in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area, where suspected terrorists reportedly killed a farmer, identified as Vincent Adojor, and abducted his wife and child.

The attackers were said to have ambushed the family while they were working on their farm at about 3:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2026.

Residents alleged that the assailants brutally murdered Adojor before whisking away his wife and child into a nearby forest.

As of the time of filing this report, the deceased’s body had been deposited at a morgue in Oghara, while the whereabouts of his wife and child remained unknown.

The incident has thrown the Oghara community into mourning, with family members and residents expressing shock and concern over the worsening security situation.