The family of one of the bullies at the Igbinedion Education Centre in Benin City has written an apology to the institution and the victim.

Two students were expelled from the school for violently bullying a boy.

The school’s principal, Emokpea Collins, told Peoples Gazette on Monday that the apology letter posted online on Sunday, signed by Tim Asoro on behalf of the Asoro family, was also sent to the school by the family.

Mr Emokpea simply said, “Yes, we have (the letter), the letter is from the family.”

Mr Asoro apologised in the letter to the victim, his family, the school’s management, the school community, and others who must have been distressed by their son’s actions in the viral video.

The family said, “To the other student who was affected, we want to say from the depths of our hearts that we are truly sorry. No child deserves to be treated in such a manner, and as parents, we cannot begin to imagine how frightening and hurtful that moment must have been for him. Our hearts go out to him and to his family. We offer our most sincere apology to them.

“We are relieved to understand, from the available medical reports, that the young boy is physically fine. While this brings some comfort to us as parents, it does not in any way diminish the seriousness of what occurred or the emotional distress that the incident may have caused.

“We also extend our apology to the management, teachers, parents and students of Igbinedion Education Centre. The school is a respected institution that has contributed immensely to education and character building in our society, and it deeply saddens us that our son’s actions have brought distress and negative attention to the school community.”

The letter added, “To the young boy who was hurt, to his family, to the school community, and to everyone who has been troubled by what they saw, we once again express our deepest apologies.”

Stating that they were pained, distressed, heartbroken, embarrassed, and ashamed of their son’s action, the parents said that after serious and emotional discussions with him, he expressed remorse and regret, adding that he now understands that what happened has consequences not only for himself and his family but for another child and the school.

“We acknowledge and respect the disciplinary decision taken by the school authorities and understand the seriousness with which the matter has been treated,” the family said.