The Edo State Police Command has invited the management of Igbinedion Education Centre, Benin City, to produce the students involved in a viral bullying incident for investigation and possible prosecution.
The development comes as the Edo State Ministry of Education also announced plans to sanction anyone found culpable in the incident.
A video that circulated widely on social media on Friday showed two male students physically assaulting a fellow student who was lying on the ground. In the footage, one of the students was seen dragging the victim by his suit and stomping on his chest while the victim cried in pain. Another student who recorded the incident was heard pleading with the attackers to stop.
The video sparked public outrage, prompting the school management to expel the two students involved in the assault, while the student who recorded the incident was suspended.
Reacting to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Eno Ikoedem, said the police had already extended their investigation to the school and met with its management on Friday.
According to her, the Commissioner of Police assigned the matter to an investigation team which visited the school, where officials confirmed that the students involved had already been expelled.
Ikoedem explained that the police had formally requested the school management to assist in identifying and producing the students connected to the incident.
She noted that the police could not continue to wait for the victim’s parents to lodge a complaint, stressing that expelling the students was not sufficient and that the law must take its course.
“We are inviting the school authority to hand over the students, particularly those involved in the bullying act, to the authorities. We do not know these students, even the victim himself; we do not know him. That is why we are calling on the victim to come forward so he can identify them,” she said.
She added that the police followed due procedures during their visit to the school.
“We went to the school and the management said they had already expelled them. We cannot just go to the school and effect arrests without following due procedures, and that is what we are trying to do,” she explained.
Ikoedem further stated that if the school fails to produce the students involved or if the victim does not come forward, other regulatory bodies may take action against the school.
She emphasised that the issue goes beyond school disciplinary measures and involves criminal actions that require proper investigation.
“It is not just about expelling them; they must be investigated and punished if found guilty. That is the only way the victim can get justice and it will also serve as a deterrent to others,” she said.
The police spokesperson also disclosed that the command had not yet received any formal complaint from the victim or his family despite the widespread circulation of the video.
“Up until this moment, we have not heard from the parents or guardian of the victim or even the victim himself. We are yet to receive a complaint from either the bullied child or his parents,” she said.
She urged the victim and his family to come forward to assist the police in their investigation.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Ministry of Education has constituted a five-member investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a statement issued by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Edith Ebomoyi, the committee was mandated to urgently investigate the matter and identify all students involved in the act.
