FOLLOWING the rumour that some soldiers were purportedly going to schools to force pupils to take immunisation, parents and guardians in Akure and some towns across Ondo State besieged various schools on Tuesday to withdraw their children.
In one of the schools visited by our correspondent in Akure, some parents were seen in agitation to take their children home but the school authorities shut the entrance gate, saying the report was false.
The headteacher of one of the schools visited by our correspondent, who pleaded anonymity noted that said some parents besieged the school to withdraw their children, hinging this on the claim “they heard that some soldiers were forcefully administering immunisation on school children.
“Our security man quickly locked the gate to bar the parents from entering, but the angered parents damaged the gate and gained entrance into the school premises. This prompted us to close for the day.”
Public Relations Officer of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Akure, Major Ojo Adenegan, however, described the immunisation report as false.
He said the Army does not and will not engage in immunisation of children as it was not part of its duties, blaming some bad elements in the society for spreading such rumour.
“We are using this medium to inform the general public to disregard such information; there is no ongoing medical outreach in Ondo State. The information is the handiwork of mischief makers and should be treated as such,” he said.
Adenegan further appealed to parents not to panic as the security agencies in the state were fully on ground to ensure the safety of residents of the state.
Similar, the Ondo State government asked the people to go about their businesses without any fear, saying they should by rest assured of their adequate security.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Yemi Olowolabi, investigations revealed that the news was false.
He said, “The state government wishes to inform parents, students, teachers, school authorities and the general public that the rumor is baseless, unfounded and should be disregarded. Real-time investigation across the state has shown that none of such things exist in Ondo State.”
Olowolabi also urged residents to be on alert in case of any strange occurrence and report such as prompt as possible.
