School Disputes Bullying Allegations in Abuja

ABUJA- The management of Beautiful Beginning Academy in Abuja's Gudu District has disputed charges of student bullying filmed in a viral video on Monday.

In the video, some older students allegedly bullied an SS2 student named Imtiyas by wrapping a chain around his neck and telling him to lie on the floor.

However, school Principal Aaron Ipke, who spoke with reporters at the school on Tuesday, explained that the students involved were performing a playful act that was misinterpreted as evidence of bullying and that the school had an open-door policy that allowed students to share any concerns with the authorities.

Ikpe added that the students arranged for the clip to be recorded on a device provided by the school, noting other students in the hostel watched the performance, proving there was no bullying.

“Categorically, I will state that there was no bullying case here at BBA. There is no bullying case whatsoever. Whatever you saw, I will personally say that it was a make-believe, you know? So, there was no case of bullying.

“I will put it straight to you, and I can give you reasons. We were in school at the time. And the way we run our school, we operate an open-door policy. Students, even from the nursery, come to the MD’s office, to the principal’s office, to express any concerns they might have. We don’t have that kind of bureaucracy. So, if there was any bullying at all, at least one student would have heard about it and reported it to us.”

“It wasn’t a case of bullying. They staged a play. Interestingly, they did it in their hostel, and there were other students around watching. So, if it was bullying, are you telling me that those other students watched this ‘play’ and none of them came to report it to us? That in itself proves it was a play. The students did it innocently, though perhaps taken to a certain level. Interestingly, let me tell you, the students actually arranged for the tablet they used to record it. The tablet is usually given to them during learning hours and later retrieved,” he added.