Igbinedion centre bullying violation of children’s rights -Mamedu

The ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has condemned the recent cases of violence and bullying involving students at Igbinedion Education Centre and describes the incident as a serious violation of children’s rights and a reminder of the systemic failures in safeguarding children within Nigeria’s education system.

Speaking in Abuja, the Country Director, AAN, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, stated that every child has the fundamental right to safety, dignity, and protection from all forms of violence, as enshrined in the Child Rights Act and reinforced by global child protection standards.

According to him, the situation reflects not only individual acts of abuse but also a broader institutional breakdown in child protection, monitoring, and accountability.

He noted that the events represent a failure of duty of care by multiple actors within the education and governance systems. When abuse persists undetected or unaddressed, it signals deep cracks in the structures responsible for safeguarding children.

“Ideally, effective school supervision mechanisms should be capable of detecting early warning signs of abuse, tracking patterns of misconduct, and intervening before harm escalates,” Mamedu said.

The AAN Country Director noted that while attention has been drawn to a specific school, the issue is far more widespread, and reflects a pattern of underreported abuse, bullying, and school-related gender-based violence across Nigeria.

He said, “This is not an isolated incident. It is one too many, and many more cases remain hidden due to weak reporting systems, fear of retaliation, stigma, and the absence of trusted protection mechanisms for children. The normalisation of silence around these issues enables abuse to thrive unchecked.”

The AAN boss further emphasised that child protection is not solely the responsibility of schools, but a shared obligation across multiple institutions, including regulatory agencies, law enforcement, and the justice system.

“The delayed response that often follows public exposure points to a reactive culture rather than a proactive safeguarding framework. Action is frequently triggered only when incidents go viral, rather than through routine monitoring, reporting, and accountability processes.

“The widespread sharing of videos and images of the children involved highlights critical gaps in safeguarding systems.

“That these recordings were shared by students themselves signals a failure of existing protection and reporting mechanisms, with social media becoming an avenue of last resort for seeking help,” he added.

The ActionAid Nigeria, among others, therefore calls for urgent and coordinated action from all relevant stakeholders to strengthen child protection systems and prevent further abuse.

He said, “Children should be encouraged and empowered to safely report abuse and bullying, with assurance of protection, and be informed of available reporting channels; including within schools, Ministries, regulatory bodies, and civil society organisations and how to use them without fear of retaliation.”