News
‘I’m Traumatized’, Victim Of Abuja School Bullying Demands Probe
A student of Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja, who was the victim in a bullying case, has issued a stern ultimatum to the school’s management to probe the incident.
The Publisher Nigeria reports that the victim, through her lawyers at Deji Adeyanju and Partners law firm, has demanded a thorough investigation and strict sanctions against the eleven students involved, giving the school a 48-hour window to respond before pursuing legal action.
According to Punch Newspaper, the student, who remains unnamed for privacy, expressed in her letter, that she has been left emotionally and physically traumatized by the incident.
She criticized the school’s previous characterizations of similar incidents as minor disputes and condemned its handling of continuous bullying issues.
“Our client and several other parents in Lead British International School have informed us and we verily believe them that this act of bullying is a reoccurring issue in the school, and despite several attempts to draw the school’s attention to it, the issue has persisted,” the letter stated.
It further dissociated the victim from a school statement that trivialized the assault as an “incident between minors.”
The letter insists on the immediate implementation of the “stiffest possible sanctions” outlined in the school’s student rule book against the identified perpetrators, highlighting that two of the bullies have already been identified.
“If the school fails to sanction the student bullies within 48 hours of the receipt of this letter, we have our client’s further instruction to seek immediate and severe legal redress against Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, without further recourse to you,” the letter warned.
The incident, which was brought to public attention through videos posted on X by user @moooyeeeee, shows a female student being repeatedly slapped by another female classmate.
The videos quickly drew significant online outrage, prompting calls for the school to address the matter decisively.
In response to the public backlash, one of the bullies issued an apology via video, expressing regret over her actions. Meanwhile, the school’s management has acknowledged the incident and announced that an investigation is underway.
The community reaction has been one of concern, with many social media users and parents criticizing the school for its perceived lenient approach to recurring bullying incidents.
The school has been accused of handling such matters with “kid gloves,” an allegation that has added to the growing demand for more robust anti-bullying policies and enforcement within educational institutions.
This case underscores the urgent need for schools to maintain a safe environment for all students and to enforce strict measures against bullying to prevent such incidents in the future.
The outcome of this ultimatum could set a precedent for how educational institutions handle bullying incidents, potentially influencing broader policy changes in schools across Nigeria.
