Police Arrest Students Over Viral Bullying Incident in Edo School

The Nigeria Police Force, Edo State Command, has confirmed the arrest of students involved in a viral bullying and assault incident at Igbinedion Education Centre, following widespread public outrage over the footage.

The command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, said the arrests followed a “thorough and painstaking investigation.”

She noted that the suspects, all identified as minors, would be arraigned before a Family Court in line with laws guiding juvenile justice and child protection.

In a related development, the families of the affected students—identified as the Asoro and Uyi families—have issued formal apologies over the incident.

According to police findings, the violence stemmed from an earlier dispute involving two female students and a male student. During the altercation, the boy allegedly made a provocative remark about the girls’ late father, which triggered a retaliatory attack after school hours.

Police said the situation escalated when a parent who arrived to pick up her child attempted to intervene.

“Angered by the remark, the girls attacked the student after school hours. When a parent stepped in, they turned on her, physically confronting her and tearing her clothes,” the statement said.

The school management subsequently expelled the girls involved in the assault.

The crisis further intensified the following day when the son of the assaulted woman reportedly carried out a revenge attack.

“On the following day, the male student, whose mother had been assaulted, attacked the victim seen in the viral video in what has been identified as a retaliatory act. The victim is the brother of the girls involved in the earlier assault,” the police added.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, ordered a statewide reinforcement of the Operation Safe Schools Initiative to address security and supervision gaps in secondary schools.

The command also announced the mobilisation of its advocacy unit, Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), to intensify sensitisation and reorientation programmes for students and school authorities to prevent a recurrence.