- She is seeking damages of N500 million against the school for its alleged negligence in providing a safe and conducive learning environment.
One Namitra Bwala, a student of Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja, has instituted a legal action against the institution.
Bwala is the girl bullied by her fellow students in an incident that went viral on social media a few weeks ago.
She has now filed a civil lawsuit against the school at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
She is seeking damages of N500 million against the school for its alleged negligence in providing a safe and conducive learning environment.
According to the lawsuit, the school failed in its duty to protect Bwala from physical and emotional harm, and also failed to inform her parents of the incident until the video went viral on social media.
As Marvin Omorogbe, Esq., Founding Partner of Deji Adeyanju and Partners, counsel to Ms. Bwala, noted, “Our client hopes that this lawsuit will bring about drastic changes and adequate measures to prevent a reoccurrence of similar issues in the school.”
Thus, the lawsuit with case number FCT/HC/CV/2341/24 is seeking, among other things, a declaration that the school owes a duty of care to its students, and that its failure to prevent the bullying and inform Ms. Bwala’s parents amounts to negligent conduct.
Furthermore, the lawsuit is seeking “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 plaintiff also wants the court to make the following declarations, that: “By virtue of the Claimant’s studentship in the Defendant’s school, Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja, the Defendant owes the Claimant a duty of care to protect her from any physical or emotional harm as well as any breach of her privacy while under the Defendant’s custody and supervision.
“The Defendant’s failure to prevent the assault, torment, emotional distress, pain and trauma suffered by the Claimant while under the custody and supervision of the Defendant amounts to negligent conduct on the part of the Defendant.
“The Defendant’s failure to immediately inform the Claimant’s parents of the assault and emotional trauma suffered by the Claimant while under the custody and supervision of the Defendant amounts to negligent conduct on the part of the Defendant.
“The Defendant’s failure to cause an immediate investigation into the physical assault and emotional trauma suffered by the Claimant while under its custody and supervision, until the video of the incident became viral on social media, amounts to negligent conduct on the part of the Defendant.”