Miss Namitra Bwala, the student at the centre of a recently viral video depicting her being bullied by fellow students, on Monday initiated legal proceedings against Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja.
The Lead British International School, Abuja is owned by Osun State member of House of representatives, Busayo Oluwole Oke (Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency). It has other branches in Osogbo, Port-Harcourt, and Ibadan.
On April 22, an X user, #mooyeeeeeee, posted videos of a female student of Lead British International School, who was seen being bullied by her classmates.
In one of the videos, the victim was seen being slapped repeatedly by another female student while asking: “Who broke my heart?”
In another video, the victim was seen sitting next to a male classmate who was heard saying: “I spoilt her relationship.”
However, the lawsuit, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under case number FCT/HC/CV/2341/24: MISS NAMTIRA BWALA v LEAD BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LTD, seeks damages from the educational institution for its alleged failure to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for the plaintiff.
According to a public statement on Monday issued by Marvin Omorogbe., the founding partner of the law firm representing Bwala, the legal action is aimed at holding the school accountable for its negligent conduct regarding the highly publicized incident.
The lawsuit further requested “the Defendant to issue a public apology to the Claimant in two national daily newspapers.
“An order directing the Defendant to pay the Claimant the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general damages for the Defendant’s breach of the duty of care it owes to the Claimant, and its negligent conduct in failing to prevent the assault, torment, emotional distress, pain, trauma and breach of privacy suffered by the Claimant while under the Defendant’s custody and supervision.”
The law firm emphasised its client’s hopes that the lawsuit would catalyse meaningful changes and prompt the implementation of adequate measures to prevent similar occurrences within the school premises.
“Our client hopes that this lawsuit will bring about drastic changes and adequate measures to prevent a reoccurrence of similar issues in the school,” the statement added.
The viral video, which sparked widespread outrage and condemnation, depicted Ms Bwala being subjected to bullying by her peers, raising concerns about the school’s ability to ensure the safety and well-being of its students.