THE Police command in Abuja’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have opened an investigation into a viral video showing a female student being bullied by her classmates at school, while two ministers paid a visit to the school today in response to the outcry.
The video, which gained traction on social media early today, included children from the Lead British International School, prompting cries for justice for the victim.
The spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, stated that investigations had commenced into the situation.
Adeh stated that several Command officers had been assigned to the school to preserve peace and order after some irate parents reportedly invaded the school today.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, and her education counterpart, Tahir Mamman, stormed the school this afternoon.
Kennedy-Ohanenye stated that investigations had also been launched into the situation. The school has also been closed for three days, during which the investigations are expected to end. However, if the investigation is not completed, the period could be extended.
According to the ministry’s press director, Folasade Boriowo, the education minister already met with the school’s management behind closed doors today. Details of the conversation are still to come.
“In a proactive response to alarms raised by some members of the public regarding videos circulating on social media depicting the bullying of students at the above-mentioned school, the FCT Police Command is on top of the situation and has deployed seasoned officers to the school premises for investigations and to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order,” she said.
Newsmen were denied entrance to the school grounds, however other pupils who talked through the school gate stated bullying was a big problem at the school.
Those who spoke indicated that despite multiple complaints to the management of the Lead British International School, the problem had not been resolved.
A statement on the school’s Facebook page revealed that its management has commenced investigation into the incident.
“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,” the statement signed by LBIS Head of School, Abuja, Abraham Ogunkanbi, read.
“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”.
Meanwhile, the video has sparked outrage on social media platforms X, Instagram and Facebook with users demanding justice for the victim.