Date: 2021-06-01

The St Claire's Anglican Girls' Grammar School, Offa, Kwara State, on Monday, resumed academic activities after a temporary closure following claims by some students that demons invaded the premises last Friday.

The Director of Administration, Offa Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Venerable Augustine Oguntebi, said in a statement that the immediate reopening of the school was part of the decisions taken at an emergency meeting involving the Bishop of the diocese, who is also the proprietor of the school, Rev Olusola Akanbi; the principal and 10 staff members of the school.

The statement read in part, "Since the occurrence was spiritual, the Bishop, Rev Dr Olusola Akanbi, led a group of priests to the school around 7am on Monday, May 31, 2021, on a prayer walk and prayers were said to sanitise the community as well as for the students and staff.

"The bishop also addressed both the staff and students of the school. The school community, before this incident, went into a three-day prayer and fasting for progress and development of the school; the result of the prayers may have been these manifestations.

"To douse the tension, the school was closed for the day, but it was not a total shutdown as erroneously reported in the media. The said demonic invasion is not a strange occurrence in schools all over the country. It has been reported in schools owned by communities, Christians and Muslims."

Some students were said to have claimed that demons invaded the school premises because they heard strange voices

In the ensuing confusion, the school authority had to evacuate the students and temporarily shut it down.