The detention of a Lagos teacher, Peter Shodipe, following a school drama presentation that sparked panic among students has drawn criticism from colleagues, who are urging government to carefully review the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Shodipe, a teacher at Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College, was arrested after a co-curricular programme designed to educate students on insecurity reportedly led to confusion when some students mistook a dramatisation of banditry for an actual attack on the school.
The incident occurred during a Wednesday educational activity organised by the school’s National Value Education Department.
Panic reportedly broke out when frightened students raised the alarm that bandits had invaded the premises, prompting security concerns and attracting police attention.
Speaking on the incident, some staff members who requested anonymity said the teacher was merely carrying out an officially approved assignment and should not be treated as a criminal.
According to one of the teachers, the programme was organised to mark National Awareness Day and focused on educating students about security threats such as banditry and kidnapping.
The source explained that teachers in the Social Studies, Civic Education, Security Education and History departments jointly planned activities that included awareness talks, quiz competitions and a drama presentation highlighting the causes, consequences and prevention of insecurity.
Shodipe was reportedly assigned to coordinate the drama segment and selected Junior Secondary School Three students for the performance after supervising rehearsals ahead of the event.
“The drama formed only one part of a broader educational programme. Teachers were assigned different responsibilities, including awareness talks and quizzes.
“The objective was to educate students on security challenges and encourage vigilance,” the source said.
Another teacher disclosed that preparations for the performance were conducted openly within the school premises and were observed by officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps stationed at the school.
According to the source, students changed into costumes near the school gate while a bus volunteered by a staff member was used as a prop for the presentation.
The teacher added that some parents dropping off their children also witnessed the preparations and understood that a drama activity was about to take place.
However, confusion reportedly arose when the bus was moved into position for the performance.
Some students who were unaware of the planned exercise allegedly began shouting that bandits had entered the school, triggering panic across the premises.
The situation escalated as frightened students reportedly fled into neighbouring schools within the educational complex, while others ran onto nearby roads, prompting residents to alert security agencies.
Police officers later arrived at the school and arrested Shodipe.
A staff member familiar with the incident said efforts by school administrators and education officials to intervene were unsuccessful after the matter was reportedly escalated beyond the divisional police level and transferred to the state command.
The arrest has generated fresh concerns among teachers, particularly after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, reportedly described the incident as an attempt at content creation while addressing officers during a strategic meeting.
The commissioner warned against actions capable of creating false security alarms and stated that those responsible for generating unnecessary panic through sensitive security-related content would face legal consequences.
However, Shodipe’s colleagues rejected the characterisation, insisting that the exercise was an educational role-play approved by the school and not a social media stunt.
“We were surprised to hear it described as content creation. This was not a skit produced for social media. It was an academic exercise organised within the framework of teaching and learning,” one teacher said.
The colleagues argued that the existence of departmental plans, rehearsals and multiple programme components demonstrated that the activity was educational rather than personal.
While acknowledging that communication lapses may have contributed to the misunderstanding, they maintained that any shortcomings should be treated as administrative issues instead of criminal offences.
They further appealed to investigators to obtain statements from teachers, students, parents and security personnel who witnessed the preparations before reaching conclusions on the matter.
“We are only asking for fairness. The investigators should hear from everyone involved and establish the facts. Mr Shodipe deserves a fair hearing because what happened appears to have been an unintended misunderstanding,” a source said.
Efforts by the teacher’s family to secure access to him were reportedly unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Lagos State Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Gbenga Ayetobo, said the union had yet to receive details of the incident.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comments on the matter.