Abuja British school shuts down to address bullying concerns
Following a distressing bullying incident that went viral on social media, the management of Lead British International School in Abuja has made the difficult decision to temporarily shut down the institution.
The incident involved a video posted by a user identified as @mooyeeeeeee, showcasing a student named Maryam Hassan being repeatedly slapped by another female student.
The disturbing video stirred a wave of outcry from netizens, urging the school authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter.
In response to the gravity of the situation, the school called for a meeting on Tuesday and announced a 3-day closure to conduct a comprehensive investigation and address the issue at hand.
During the meeting, a senior staff member emphasised that the decision to close the school temporarily was made in the best interest of all individuals involved.
Tensions escalated during the meeting when a parent took matters into their own hands and confronted the student responsible for the bullying, resulting in a physical altercation.
The student at the center of the controversy has faced severe criticism, and there have been reports of her arriving at the school with elder male figures accompanying her.
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.”
