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Oyo Authorities Investigate School Injury Following Mother’s Allegations of Negligence
The Oyo State Government has launched a review into an incident at an Ibadan elementary school after a mother released a viral video accusing the administration of negligence following a severe head injury sustained by her son.
In the video, the concerned parent claimed her child fell on the school premises, resulting in a deep laceration across his forehead that required approximately 10 stitches. She also noted that the child later suffered from leg pain and mobility difficulties.
The mother questioned the school’s transparency, alleging that management failed to provide an accurate account of the incident. She stated that her requests to view CCTV footage were denied, with the school attributing the missing recording to a technical transition from the national grid to an inverter system during the exact seven to eight minutes the fall occurred. Furthermore, she claimed she was blocked from a parent-teacher communication group and that the school had failed to follow up on the boy’s recovery.
Responding to the viral video, Marcus Williams, Chairman of the Oyo State Rapid Response Team on Gender-Based Violence, stated that a fact-finding team had visited the school to investigate. According to Williams, the findings indicate the incident was an accident rather than deliberate negligence, and that the school’s immediate response aligned with proper child protection protocols.
“What they explained was that an incident occurred that got a child injured,” Williams said. “And that after the injury, they responded by taking the child to a nearby hospital.”
Investigators noted that the school provided initial financial support for the medical treatment and immediately contacted the mother, who met the staff at the hospital. An inspection of the site revealed a puncture point on a wall where the child likely struck his head during the fall. Regarding the missing CCTV footage, Williams confirmed that power interruptions and system faults occurred at the time, prompting the agency to recommend backup power solutions for the future.
Williams attributed the public escalation of the matter to a severe breakdown in communication. He explained that the school’s proprietress missed the mother’s messages and calls due to a scheduling conflict, and the mother’s understandable anxiety fueled the tension when she felt ignored.
The state authorities have since contacted the mother, inviting both the parent and child to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Department for further dialogue aimed at resolving the dispute.
