In unreserved and emotional apologies to the victim, his parents and the school community, the family of Choice Osarumen Asoro, one of the senior secondary school students captured in a viral video severely beating up a fellow student at the Igbinedion Education Centre, Benin City, Edo State, have taken responsibility for the action of their son, declaring that watching the video had been one of the most distressing and heartbreaking experiences of their lives as parents.
A statement on Sunday dated March 15, 2026, signed by Mr. Tim Asoro for the family, expressed “shock, sadness, and profound embarrassment”, at the video, adding that “As a family, we are deeply ashamed that our child was involved in conduct that has caused pain and distress to another young student”.
The family were however relieved that the victim was physically fine, though they were quick to emphasise that this “does not in any way diminish the seriousness of what occurred or the emotional distress that the incident may have caused”.
A report by Newsmata.com.ng said that other videos had however surfaced on social media suggesting that Choice Asoro led a gang terrorising fellow students in the school.
In one of such videos, he was reportedly sighted leading some students to mercilessly beat up three students in a classroom, and in another, he gave a young student a very hard knock on the head such that a shocked student shouted “Jesus” from the background.
Below is the full statement of the family’s apology:
“A HEARTFELT APOLOGY FROM THE ASORO FAMILY
“In the past few days, our family has been faced with the painful reality of a video circulating online.
“The video involves students of Igbinedion Education Centre, Benin City, and sadly, our son is among those identified.
“Watching the video has been one of the most distressing and heartbreaking experiences of our lives as parents. We have watched it with shock, sadness, and profound embarrassment. As a family, we are deeply ashamed that our child was involved in conduct that has caused pain and distress to another young student.
“To the 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.
“This incident has brought our family immense pain and reflection. As parents, we have spent many sleepless hours asking ourselves difficult questions and confronting the reality that our son made a serious mistake that has hurt another child and disappointed many people.
“Since this incident came to our attention, we have had very serious and emotional discussions with our son. He has expressed deep remorse and regret for his actions and understands that what happened has consequences not only for himself but for another child, for the school, and for our entire family.
“We do not excuse what happened. What occurred was wrong, and we are determined that our son must learn from this moment. As parents, we are already taking steps to ensure that he receives the guidance, counseling, and moral support necessary to help him reflect, grow, and become a better and more compassionate young person. We also acknowledge and respect the disciplinary decision taken by the school authorities and understand the seriousness with which the matter has been treated.
“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.
Our family hopes and prays that healing will come to everyone affected by this painful incident and that from this moment of shame and regret our son will learn the lessons that will shape him into a more responsible and humane person”. [Newsmata]
