Lead British School: Victim, Bwala Sues Bullies, Gives Ultimatum For Sanction
The bullied student of British Lead International School, Miss. Namtira Bwala, has sued over the incident of bullying and attack meted out to her in the school.
This came on a day some anti-corruption groups and civil society organizations who, in their condemnation of the incident, described bullying in schools as a long standing issue that must be tackled by government and stakeholders.
Bwala had asked the school authorities to immediately investigate and pronounce the stiffest possible sanctions in the student’s rule book on Ms. Maryam Hassan, Miss Faliya, and nine other students.
In a viral video posted on the internet on April 22, 2024, Bwala was seen being bullied by a group of students in the school.
Consequently, Bwala in a letter by her solicitors, Deji Adeyanju and Partners, Wednesday, said if the school authorities failed to sanction the students’ bullies within 48 hours of receipt of the letter, she would seek immediate and severe legal redress against it.
The letter signed by Marvin Omorogbe, read: “We are solicitors to Miss. Namtira Bwala (acting through her next friend), hereinafter referred to as our client, on whose instruction we act.
“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, leaving our client traumatised from the emotional and physical effect of the oppressive acts by these dare devil bullies.
“Regrettably, our client has once again, been subjected to physical attacks in the hands of these bullies, with the video of the act going viral on social media.
“Sadly, rather than address this issue head-on by imposing severe sanctions on the student bullies, the school has issued a timid statement lacking in force or recognition of the severity of the situation at hand.
“Our client completely dissociate herself from the statement issued by the school on April 22, 2024 wherein a case of battery was unconscionably referred to as an “incident between minors.
“We state that it is this type of statement, coupled with the school’s gross negligence, that has enabled the student bullies, leading to increased incidents of unchecked bullying in the school, an environment that should ordinarily be a safe space for students.
“Sequel to the foregoing, we have our client’s instruction to demand for the immediate investigation and the pronouncement of the stiffest possible sanctions in the student’s rule book, on Ms. Maryam Hassan, Miss Faliya and nine other students who have formed a cult of bullies in Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja.
“Please note that 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 an immediate and severe legal redress against Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, without further recourse to you.”
Meanwhile, some anti-corruption groups and civil society organizations have called on the authorities to take decisive action to prevent bullying from recurring in the nation’s schools.
In his reaction to the development, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Head of Transparency International (Nigeria) and Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said: “Bullying has been a longstanding issue in Nigerian schools, both public and private.
”This particular case was likely exacerbated by social media. I believe it will serve as a valuable lesson for authorities to ensure that every student refrains from engaging in bullying.
”It is regrettable that insufficient action has been taken to address this problem. Bullying in schools is unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned,” he said.
Similarly, Zikirullahi Ibrahim, Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED, described the incident as “undeniably disgraceful” and expressed concern about the safety of students within the institution.
He said: “It is particularly disconcerting that the school administration turned a blind eye to the situation until the video went viral and sparked public outrage. CHRICED commends the minister of women affairs for promptly intervening and holding the school authorities accountable.”
Also, Deji Adeyanju, Convener of Concerned Nigerians, announced plans to sue the school for negligence and revealed that another parent had come forward with a similar bullying incident, prompting another letter to the school.
“We intend to sue the school for negligence, and we have also been additionally briefed by another parent that their child was bullied in the school. We are writing another letter to the school,” Adeyanju said.
Adeyanju, who emphasized the need for schools to take bullying seriously, said: “Bullying is a serious issue that can have long-lasting effects on the victim.”
