iPad ghost-operating, very strange

It happened suddenly: my iPad’s buttons turned unresponsive and the ability to swipe in/out of apps disappeared. It’d put me into the photos app and I have no way to get out of it, unless I hard-reset. I’ve tried the reset around 20 times, but every time the Lock Screen pops up, the wallpaper is sideways and the option to take a photo on the right disappears (I’ve learned that it was a sign of this malfunction). Once I’ve entered my passcode, after about 3 seconds of normality my iPad takes me straight back into photos, no matter what I do. However, I still touch/swipe in the photos app. On the other hand, I can no longer export photos into another app, almost as if my iPad is trying to actively block me from getting out. I experimented a little and tried to see if letting my battery die would let some change. Nope. The glitch goes right back into place. I sent my iPad a text message, and the notification didn’t even pop up. My iPad has a mind of its own. I have googled it and didn’t see any similar instances. I’m guessing this might be a software issue.