There was pandemonium in some schools in Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday over the rumour of killer vaccines which some army officers were allegedly injecting pulpils in the state.
It was gathered that by 11 am most schools in Oron and Uyo had been shut and children scattered everywhere because military officers had arrived some schools, on a sinister motive to depopulate the region through injecting them with the dreaded Monkey pox virus.
Though no person has been confirmed dead, reports had it that parents who had earlier dropped their wards in schools in Oron, hastily went back to withdraw them after hearing the rumor
The rumor mills spread fast to other adjoining local governments of Eket, Mbo and Orue Offong Uroko, causing tension and fear as parents were seen running up and down to withdraw their pupils.
The state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, could not respond to the development as his phones were not reachable as at press time.
But his information officer, Mr. Ifiok Udo-abassey, has dismissed the rumor as “false and misleading” and capable of causing fear and tension in the state.
He called on parents to quickly disregards such before it’s too late and warned those behind it to desist from it immediately.
“It is a big rumour, it is false and misleading, it can cause tension, those behind should desist from it before anything happens,” Ifiok said adding that the commissioner of Health will address the public tomorrow on the issue.
However, the state commissioner of education, Mr Paul Udoufia, who responded on phone confirmed the panic withdrawal of children from schools by parents but dismissed the rumor as “discouraging and calculated to cause confusion in the state”.
He promised to issue a press statement of the issue tomorrow.
However, when contacted the deputy director, Army Public relations , 6th division, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, could not react to the issue as he was not on ground in Akwa Ibom.
But the Assistant director, Army Public relations officer, zone 2,Akwa Ibom state,Umar Shuaib, in a statement Wednesday described the rumour as “ callous and unpatriotic”
He announced that the Army for now is currently involved in its “Operation Crocodile Smile 11” which making remarkable progress in the state in terms of curbing criminal activities such as cultism and robbery in the state.
The statement reads in part, “The attention of Headquarters 2 Brigade Nigerian Army has been drawn to some rumours making the rounds that some Nigerian Army Personnel are going round schools in Akwa Ibom State dressed in Military Camouflage uniforms with the intention of forcefully vaccinating students with an unknown substance.
“The callous and unpatriotic rumours spread by these enemies of State are, to say the least, despicable, deplorable and highly condemnable as they are intended to cause pandemonium among the general public.
“The authorities of 2 Brigade Nigerian Army wishes to inform the general public that the Brigade is currently involved in Operation CROCODILE SMILE II, which is yielding tremendous successes especially in curbing the excesses and activities of criminals, cultists and other miscreants in Akwa Ibom State which is been applauded by the affected communities.
“For emphasis therefore, the 2 Brigade Nigerian Army does not and will never carry out its medical outreaches or vaccination exercises for that matter in Schools.
“We therefore wish to inform the public that the ongoing rumours about Nigerian Army Personnel in military camouflage going round schools in any part of Akwa Ibom State to forcefully immunize school children are false and should therefore be disregarded.
Shuaib called on members of the public are please requested to report any case of imposter(s) that may be seen actually trying to commit such atrocity to the nearest any formation.
