By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Students of Government School, Ijibor, and other nearby schools in Bekwara Local Government Area of northern Cross River State have remained too frightened to return to classes nearly 48 hours after three armed men allegedly stormed the school on Friday in an attempt to abduct pupils.
In an interview with Prime Gosip on Tuesday, Rev. Fr. Thomas Onabe of St. Mary Quasi Parish, Ugboro–Ijibor, who led community members to repel the suspected attackers, confirmed that both pupils and their parents are still overwhelmed by fear.
He said the panic is so severe that local women staged a nude protest, demanding immediate protection for their children before schools can safely reopen.
Recounting how the incident unfolded, the priest said parishioners had alerted him after spotting unfamiliar armed men within the school premises while pupils were in session.
“My members and other eyewitnesses in the Ijibor community told me they saw three heavily armed Fulani men enter the school premises. Having heard of kidnappings of schoolchildren in other parts of the country, the people mobilised quickly and raised an alarm, which startled the armed men,” he said.
According to him, the suspects fled into the forest behind the school—an expansive area close to the Ogoja Army Barracks—when they realised the crowd was growing and becoming confrontational.
He explained that community youths, armed only with sticks, knives, and other local weapons, followed him into the forest where they conducted a nearly three-hour search but were unable to locate the fleeing men.
Onabe stressed that while peaceful Fulani herders live in the forest with their cattle, the three men who entered the school did so armed and with clear hostile intent, prompting the community’s decision to confront them.
He added that the community’s bravery has helped restore some confidence, but many women who protested remain deeply traumatised and still fear that the attackers may return.
The cleric called for continuous security presence in all affected schools, revealing that both army and police operatives had visited the area since the incident occurred.
Due to the lingering tension, community leaders have ordered the closure of schools in the area, even though students were in the middle of examinations when the invasion happened.
When contacted, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, SP Igri Ewa, said the police would soon issue an official statement on the matter.