IN SHORT: Online claims that a secondary school in Nigeria was attacked by members of the Fulani ethnic group are false, police say.

Fulani settlers invaded a school in Oyo state in southwest Nigeria, according to a post shared on Facebook in March 2023.

The Fulani are a widely dispersed group of mainly Muslim cattle herders, scattered across West Africa.

In Nigeria Fulani groups have at times been accused of causing conflict. But some Fulani communities have in turn accused the media of stereotyping them.

The post reads in part: "Suspected herdsmen, on Thursday morning, allegedly invaded one of the public secondary schools in Oyo State, injuring students and teachers."

It says the school is the "Community Grammar School, Alaropo Nla in the Oriire Local Government Area of the state".

It continues: "The herdsmen, according to an eyewitness account, numbering over twenty, allegedly invaded the school with their cattle and injured some of the students and teachers."

The claim was also republished in other Facebook posts.

There have been reports of Fulani settlers invading schools and communities in the country, but is it true that they attacked a school in Oyo state in March 2023?

State police spokesperson denies rumours

On 30 March, the spokesperson for the Oyo state police, Adewale Osifeso, said the news was false.

He said a group of Fulani came to graze their cattle near the school and didn't invade or hurt anyone.