A TikTok beauty creator known as Jola, who operates the account ugly_gal_jola, has issued a public apology to an elderly woman after a video showing her assaulting the woman during a row inside a commercial bus in Lagos spread widely across social media.
The confrontation, which has continued to fuel sharp debate online, began as a dispute over phone volume before escalating into a physical altercation between the two passengers.
Following a police invitation over the incident, Jola published an apology video on Monday directed at the elderly woman and the general public.
“So hi guys, I am here to make an apology video for the video I posted days ago that went viral. I am so sorry, grandma. It was not my intention to beat grandma. All cases have been settled. I was called to the police station and they said the case is already settled. Grandma, I am so sorry. Thank you,” Jola said in the clip.
The apology has not fully quelled the online reaction, however, with social media users remaining divided over what triggered the altercation and whether Jola’s response was proportionate.
The incident reportedly took place aboard a bus travelling from Ikotun to Igando when an elderly passenger complained that Jola was playing her phone at a volume that was disturbing fellow travellers.
In an earlier video posted before her arrest, Jola said she had already lowered the volume when the situation deteriorated. “I reduced the volume, but the woman kept complaining and started insulting me. I know she is a grandma, but she was insulting me and shouting on me in the bus,” she said.
The exchange turned physical when the elderly woman allegedly struck Jola twice. In her own account from the earlier video, Jola acknowledged the violent response that followed. “She slapped me again, and that was when I reacted. I know she is a grandma and people will say I shouldn’t have done it, but I was angry. I beat her very well. I used her as a scapegoat,” she said.
Footage recorded by Jola during the altercation showed fellow passengers reacting in visible shock as the confrontation intensified inside the vehicle. Some eyewitness accounts suggest the row continued briefly after both women alighted at their stop.
The elderly woman’s family reportedly identified Jola after coming across the viral footage and subsequently filed a complaint with the police. Officers invited Jola for questioning over the assault on an elderly citizen.
A separate video circulated online showing Jola in handcuffs at a police station, further fuelling public discussion.
