Bullied student, Namtira, sues attackers, gives school ultimatum for sanction

Namtira Bwala, the female student of Lead British International School, Abuja, who was captured in a viral video on Monday where she was seen being assaulted by one of her peers, Mariam Hassan, has sued the fellow students who bullied her.

In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday on her behalf by her solicitors, Deji Adeyanju and Partners, Bwala asked the school authorities to immediately investigate and pronounce the stiffest possible sanctions in the student’s rule book on Maryam Hassan, Miss Faliya, and nine other students who participated in the assault on her.

Bwala added that if the school authorities failed to sanction the accused students within 48 hours of receipt of the letter, she would ‘seek immediate and severe legal redress against it.’

The letter which was signed by Marvin Omorogbe, read in part:

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“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.”