Enugu orders prosecution of college students who bullied colleague

The Enugu State Government has ordered the arrest and prosecution of students who bullied and assaulted their colleagues in a viral video.

The State Commissioner for Education, Ndubueze Mbah, disclosed this in a statement on Monday evening.

Viral video

A viral video clip, which surfaced online recently, showed a group of male students bullying and assaulting an unidentified student in a school hostel.

The students, numbering about eight, forced their colleague to lie on the ground while they took turns to assault him.

Investigation, arrest and prosecution

Mr Mbah condemned the assault on the student and described the incident as “deeply troubling and emotionally distressing.”

He said the incident was perpetrated by students of Federal Government College, Enugu, at their hostel.

The commissioner said the state government had ordered investigation, arrest, and prosecution of the culprits involved in the assault of the student.

Mr Mbah said the government was in communication with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that appropriate sanctions were applied to both the “errant students” and school managers who may have failed in their duties.

“The Enugu State Government has zero tolerance for bullying and abuse in our schools. The safety and welfare of our students are paramount.

“Government is resolved to prosecute culprits who engage in the criminal behaviour of physical assault against students. Such immoral behaviour has no place in our academic environments and those who tread that part must be ready to face the consequences,” he said.

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The commissioner asked educational institutions in the state to remember that they have a role to ensure that the safety and well-being of students are given preference.

He warned that there would be “dire consequences” against harassment, intimidation and violence which violate the core values of respect, equality and freedom of students in the state.