A mother in Ibadan has gone viral after saying her son needed 10 stitches following a fall at his elementary school — and that the school then blocked her from the parents' WhatsApp group.

In a video circulating on Friday, the woman, whose name hasn't been disclosed, said her son sustained a deep cut on his forehead after falling within the school premises. She said the injury was so severe that doctors had to stitch it twice.

"My son fell, his head got cut, the middle of his forehead… it was a very deep cut that they couldn't even leave it like that. They had to stitch his head… they stitched it twice… like 10 stitches across."

She also alleged that the school failed to properly explain how the incident happened. When she asked for CCTV footage, she said the school told her the cameras were down because they were switching from NEPA to inverter at the time.

"They said they were changing from NEPA to inverter for a span of seven to eight minutes," she said, questioning why the moment of the fall wasn't captured.

The mother said she was blocked from the parents' group page and that the school didn't reach out to check on her son's condition after he was discharged.

But the Oyo State Rapid Response Team on Gender-Based Violence says the incident was an accident and that the school handled it well.

Chairman Marcus Williams told our correspondent that his team visited the school after seeing the social media posts. He said officials inspected the scene and spoke to management.

"What they explained was that an incident occurred that got a child injured. And that after the injury, they responded by taking the child to a nearby hospital," Williams said.

He said the school provided initial financial support for treatment and called the mother, who met them at the hospital.

Investigators found a possible cause of the injury during their inspection — a puncture point on a wall where the child likely hit his head.

On the CCTV issue, Williams said the system experienced faults and power interruptions at the time, which may have affected recording. He recommended backup power solutions for future incidents.

Williams said the school presented its child protection policy, which staff members had signed, and that its response aligned with safeguarding procedures.

"Overall, it was an accident. How they managed it, from what the school told me, was in order," he said.

However, he admitted that a breakdown in communication between the school leadership and the mother escalated the situation.

"The proprietress wasn't responding to the mother's messages because she was at a prayer meeting. The mother was agitated and kept sending messages, so the proprietress felt it was too hard to pick," Williams said.

He added: "If only that communication gap hadn't happened, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

Williams said he has reached out to the mother and that both parent and child have been invited for further engagement at the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Department.

The matter is still being reviewed through ongoing dialogue between both parties as authorities work toward a resolution.