BREAKING: Abuja School Shuts Down Amid Outrage Over Viral Bullying Video

Lead British International School in Abuja has been temporarily shut down due to a bullying incident that sparked widespread outrage on social media.

A video posted by @mooyeeeeeee on X showed a female student, identified as Namtira Bwala, being repeatedly slapped by another student, Maryam Hassan.

The disturbing footage generated thousands of comments, with many calling for the school to take action.

Pls repost 🙏#justiceformaryam. https://t.co/JUt0Wr8mbD pic.twitter.com/K8pRkH5dxo

— Pinkypromi3s🥀🦋 (@mooyeeeeeee) April 22, 2024

In response, the school authorities announced a three-day closure to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

However, tensions ran high at a meeting on Tuesday when a parent confronted the student responsible for the bullying, slapping her in the process.

The school has issued a statement confirming the incident and pledging to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

It was gathered that the counselling unit is already working with the victim to overcome the emotional and psychological impact, while the perpetrators will face disciplinary measures and counselling.

The investigation is ongoing, with a dedicated team reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses to determine the causes of the incident.

According to Daily Trust, a top member of staff said the decision to shut down the school temporarily was in the interest of all parties involved.

Narrating what transpired at the Tuesday’s meeting, the source said; “A lady identified as one of the parents walked up to the student, asking her, “She is proud of what she did. You are proud of what you did! You are proud right? Someone’s child; innocent child, you beat her, did you give birth to her? I am asking you, did you give birth to her?”

The student was trying to walk away so as to avoid confrontation, but the angry parent shoved her, saying, “I’m asking you: did you give birth to her?” The student muttered some incoherent words and the angry parent responded with a slap, before other elderly person around moved in to douse tension.

The Lead British International School had earlier said it has launched investigation into the matter.

In a statement issued earlier on Monday, it said the counselling unit of the school is helping the victimised student overcome the emotional and psychological impact.

The statement read, “We are committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all our students. Hence, upon learning of the incident, we initiated the process of reaching out to the victim and family with a view to providing support, including access to counselling services to help them cope with the emotional and psychological impact of the incident.

“Additionally, we will be working with the perpetrators and their families, offering counselling and disciplinary measures to address their behaviour which has no place in society.

“We have also immediately initiated an investigation, appointing a dedicated team to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter. The team has been gathering information, including reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses, to understand the full scope of the incident and identify the immediate and remote causes.”