Viral video: Bullied student sues Abuja school for N500m, public apology

On Monday, Namitra Bwala, the student at the focus of a recently circulated video showing her being harassed by classmates, filed a lawsuit against Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

A video of a female student at Lead British International School being harassed by her peers was shared on April 22 by an X user going by the handle #mooyeeeeeee.

One of the films showed the girl asking, "Who broke my heart?" as she was repeatedly smacked by another female student.

The victim was heard claiming, "I ruined her relationship," to a male classmate when they were seated next to each other in a different video.

The lawsuit, however, filed at the Federal Capital Territory's High Court under the case number FCT/HC/CV/2341/24: MISS NAMTIRA BWALA v. LEAD BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LTD, demands damages from the educational establishment for allegedly failing to provide the plaintiff with a secure and supportive learning environment.

The goal of the lawsuit is to hold the school responsible for its careless behaviour in relation to the widely reported incident, according to a public statement released on Monday by Marvin Omorogbe, the founding partner of the legal firm that is defending Bwala.

In addition, the lawsuit demanded that "the Defendant publicly apologise to the Clamant in two national daily newspapers."

The claimant is seeking an order directing the defendant to pay N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general damages for the defendant's negligence in failing to prevent the claimant's assault, torment, emotional distress, pain, trauma, and invasion of privacy while the claimant was in the defendant's care and supervision.

The legal company highlighted that its client hoped the case would spark significant improvements and lead to the adoption of suitable safeguards to stop such incidents from happening on school property.

"Our client is hopeful that this lawsuit will result in significant adjustments and sufficient steps to stop similar problems from happening in the school again," the statement continued.

The video went viral and caused a great deal of controversy and condemnation. It showed Ms. Bwala being bullied by her peers, which raised questions about the school's capacity to protect the wellbeing and safety of its pupils.