The management of Lead British International School, Abuja, has temporarily shut down the institution following a bullying incident that went viral on social media. The incident involved a student, identified as Maryam Hassan, repeatedly slapping another student.
The video, posted by a user @mooyeeeeeee, sparked outrage among netizens who called on the school authorities to investigate the matter. In response, the school announced a 3-day closure on Tuesday to enable a thorough probe into the incident.
A top staff member stated that the decision to temporarily shut down the school was in the best interest of all parties involved. The incident escalated when a parent confronted the student who bullied her colleague and slapped her. The student, who has been severely criticised, was seen entering the premises accompanied by elderly males.
The school had earlier stated that it had launched an investigation into the matter. In a statement issued 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.”
The federal government has also confirmed the shutting down of the Lead British International School, Abuja for three days over the case of a student of the school, Namtira Bwala who was physically bullied and assaulted by her classmate, Maryam Hassan.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, who visited the school on Tuesday, announced the shutting down of the school following the outrage that trailed the viral video of the bullying incident.
